Of Fire and Ice : The Legendary Alliance
by Rogue-Phoenix-San
Summary: A demon horde threatens the existence of the human race. Imbued with the power of elemental magic, humans must fight and destroy the demons before they take over. All seems hopeless until King Viktor Nikiforov and Emperor Yuri Katsuki are brought together by fate to turn the tide. Can these two leaders truly overcome their opposing fire and ice for the sake of humanity?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Throughout history, there have been many events that have shaped the world. Wars, disease, famine, and strife have all played critical roles in the shift of power. Rulers rose and fell, and alliances were made and broken during those turbulent times. Lands prospered under benevolent monarchs and withered under tyrannical ones. Humanity endured the ebb and flow of change and continued to move forward. Sometimes, however, something truly extraordinary happens; an event so momentous that it causes the world to be irrevocably altered.

There came a time during which the land was consumed by darkness. Humanity's greed and thirst for power and riches had brought forth the existence of demons into the world. Originally forming in scattered outcrops, their power and influence had grown with each bloody massacre enacted in their name, and each soul offered up to feed their hunger. Their numbers grew exponentially with each kingdom that was felled, and soon they had become a menacing horde. The demons flourished and evolved, having drawn knowledge and power from the souls they had consumed. They formed hierarchies and eventually their own kingdom, complete with their own Demon King. The demons soon realized that they had become more powerful than the humans. They no longer sat back on their heels, waiting for human souls to be consumed by darkness. They actively began attacking human settlements and annexing them to their growing black empire.

The threat from the demon swarm had grown so large that even the gods themselves could no longer turn a blind eye. They had finally realized that, without intervention, the human race was doomed to be annihilated by the spreading evil. And so, after having held a gathering to determine the fate of humanity, the greater gods decided to bestow the gift of magic upon select and trustworthy members of the human race. The chosen ones were judged by the gods and given mastery over the element that best suited their personalities. Soon there were several thousand humans across the land that could manipulate metal (Metallum Magi), wood (Lignum Magi) and earth (Terrae Magi), and bid it to do their will. The remaining two elements were fire and water. The prospect of entrusting the two most powerful elements to the humans gave the gods great pause. For in the wrong hands, it would prove to be most disastrous.

To minimize the risk, two exceptional dynasties were chosen to be sole bearers of this responsibility. Draconikus, King of Gods, chose the Nikiforov Family in the kingdom of Occidentis to wield his water magic. The Nikiforov bloodline was known for its passion and fervor. Water would overwhelm and wash away a weak character, so their ardor would provide the Yin to the water's Yang, thus creating balance. The King channeled the essence of his magic into a glowing blue sphere which then morphed into a splendid and fierce dragon. As an extra failsafe, the King turned the water dragon into ice. This made it so that the power could not be used to drown, flood or kill. The ice magic would be fatal to demons, but harmless to humans. King Draconikus then fused the ice dragon's soul with a magnificent sword with a sapphire-encrusted hilt. A scabbard enchanted with earth magic was created to contain its power.

Elianna, Queen of Gods, chose the Katsuki Family in the kingdom of Orientalis to wield her fire magic. The Katsuki Clan was the picture of calm courage. Fire stokes unsettling emotions and would consume an unstable user from the inside. The Katsuki's inner harmony would be the grounding Yang to her fire's overwhelming Yin. The Queen blew fire from her mouth into the shape of a burning orb. The orb flickered brightly for a few seconds before transforming into a dazzling and brazen phoenix. Its eyes; a stunning molten gold, were said to be able to bore through one's very soul. Queen Elianna also safeguarded her power by turning the phoenix's fire into flames of purification. Her fire would not be able to raze towns nor harm other humans. Her flames would only serve to kill demons. The Queen then fused the phoenix's soul with a lustrous katana adorned with glistening rubies. A scabbard enchanted with water magic was constructed to encompass its intensity.

The King and Queen had then both visited the leaders of their respective chosen families. Each was presented with their blade and told of the great power and responsibility that came with it. A blood pact was made between each leader, their sword, and their God. This served three great purposes. First, it ensured that subsequent generations would also be able to use the blade and its powers. Second, it would provide divine protection to its wielder. Lastly, the blood pact also gave the Gods the right to revoke their gift, should the user and/or his associates ever apply its abilities for evil. And so, Alexei Nikiforov and Hideo Katsuki became the founding fathers of Ice Dragon Magic and Phoenix Purification Magic.

Centuries passed and the war with the demons continued. Heir after heir wielded their divine sword bravely and honorably against the demon army. There were times in which victory for the human empire seemed all but assured. But then human corruption and avarice would bolster the demons and lift their numbers once again.

Five hundred years after humanity had received the gift of magic, a legendary alliance unlike any other would form. The leaders of the two most polarizing elements would find their way to each other and eventually create a unified front of unsurpassed might, cunning, and skill.

And so begins the tale of how King Viktor Nikiforov and Emperor Yuri Katsuki found their way to one another. An account of the ancient battle waged for the very survival of the human race. A chronicle of their struggles, sacrifices, and love.


	2. Floundering Fledgling

_**A/N: I'll try to get some pictures posted soon of what these characters look like. It makes the story much richer when you can fully visualize the characters.**_

"Shit! I've gotta get out of here!"

The young archer panted heavily as he stumbled through the forest, his injured leg half-dragging behind him. He struggled forward as branches clawed at his clothes and twigs scraped dozens of superficial cuts on his skin. He tried, in vain, to cut his way through the thick brush with the small dagger he always had on hand, but only managed to make himself weaker by the second.

"Dammit, how the hell did I get myself in this mess?!"

Then it all came back to him, and he cursed himself. He had run off after an enemy on his own and had become separated from the main reconnaissance group. Out in the open without support or backup, he had been ambushed by a group of demons. He recalled, with a triumphant grin, that he had managed to take out half of them on his own. _Bastards underestimated me!_ He had relished the look of terror in their eyes as they had been frozen from the inside before cracking and exploding in a shower of ice shavings. His smile faltered however when he recalled how things had totally gone to shit for him after that. He had been feeling so pleased with himself over his demon kills, that the he had lost track of the remaining four. He had squandered away the upper hand and had suddenly found himself without any arrows, and flanked on all sides. Not wishing to die foolishly, he had immediately abandoned the fight and tried to make a getaway. He had managed to escape, but taken a poison dart to the leg for his troubles.

As he slid down the trunk of a large tree, the wise words of that annoying silver-haired geezer came back to haunt him.

 _ **It is good to have pride, but too much is a dangerous thing.**_ _**Pride always comes before the fall.**_

He spat disdainfully at the ground next to him, as if the sheer memory of the words had filled his mouth with bitterness.

"Keh! Screw you, old man! I'm going to make it out of here alive just to spite you! Then I can laugh and say 'I told you so' right to your nasty face!"

The young archer grit his teeth and wrapped his arms around himself as he doubled over in pain. The poison was spreading, slowly seeping past his improvised ice-enchanted tourniquet. He balled his hand into a fist and pounded the ground repeatedly.

"Shit, shit, shit! This was supposed to be my grand debut, proof that I could cut it on the battlefront. Why did it have to go so damn wrong?!"

Tears formed in his eyes as the frustration he felt threatened to overwhelm him. He had been so engrossed in his own misery that he had not noticed the small orange fox that had come to sit by his side. Finally having sensed its presence, he looked down, shocked to see it so close.

"Oi! You're supposed to be scared of humans! Shoo!"

He made a sweeping gesture in an attempt to scare the fox away, but it just sat there staring quizzically at him with its big green eyes. He grumbled in exasperation as he slid a hand down his face.

"Great, now I'm talking to animals. I'm losing my mind on top of everything else that's happened."

Just then, the fox lifted one of its front legs and whimpered. The young archer looked down and saw that it was covered in thorns and brambles. His eyes softened and his voice fell to a calm whisper.

"Oh! I see now. You've managed to get yourself into a bit of trouble too, huh?"

He slowly and gently extended a hand toward the fox.

"I can help, if you let me."

The fox stepped closer to him and placed its leg in his hand. _Well, this is it. I've finally lost my mind. I'm talking to a fox and I think it actually understands me._ He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his nerves. The poison was causing painful cramps in his stomach and he felt on the verge of vomiting. He was dying, he knew it. But if there was one last good thing he could do on earth with his remaining time, it would be to help this little fox. With nimble fingers, the young archer made quick work of the fox's prickly problems.

"There you go, little guy. I-…GAHHH!"

A particularly strong spasm of pain wracked his body as he coughed up blood onto the back of his hand. He slumped sideways off the tree, no longer having the strength to hold himself up. _This is it…what a miserable way to go._ The fox licked his nose and sounded off a series of barks and yips. His vision swam and cold sweat poured off his body while he fought desperately to hang on to the last few vestiges of consciousness. In his delirium, he saw the fox be replaced by a woman. He blinked repeatedly as he tried to focus his stare, but his eyes refused to work properly. They were playing some kind of trick on him, for the woman had the ears and tail of a fox.

"Stay still, don't move. We're not enemies, we're here to help."

The young archer moaned plaintively as he tried to sort out what was real and what wasn't. _Fox, woman, fox-woman…talks?_

He felt his body being shifted into a more upright position before something cold and bitter was pressed up to his lips and trickled down his throat. He sputtered at the intrusion and the absolutely horrible taste of it. A pair of kind chestnut-brown eyes looked down at him.

"Shh, I know it's bitter. But you must drink it if you want to live. You don't have much time left."

The young archer nodded as he forced himself to swallow the foul liquid.

"There, there…almost done. That's a good boy."

Those words, that tone…he was flooded with a sense of nostalgia. Drowning in the toxic fever of the demonic poison, vivid hallucinations engulfed his mind. He suddenly saw the face of the woman who raised him, and who had been ripped from him much too soon.

"Thank you, mama."

The fox-woman's face turned bright red and he heard the sound of female laughter. _Someone else is here? Who else is…_ His vision blurred one last time before his world faded to black.

-meanwhile-

"Hahaha! 'Mama'? Has raising three kitsune hellions not yet quelled your desire for children Yuuko-Chan?"

The woman in question blushed more fiercely before putting her hands on her hips and pouting. Her fox tail whipped around restlessly as she turned to face the lithe female warrior leaning against a tree just off to her right.

"Minako-San! You're so inappropriate! I was just trying to be soothing and kind. He was dying, you know!"

The warrior waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was there, remember?"

Yuuko turned back around to look down at the unconscious boy on the ground.

"He's so young, and clearly untested. What kind of monster would send a child like this alone into a battlefield?"

Minako pushed off against the tree and walked over.

"Don't let your emotions get the best of you, Yuuko-Chan. Not everything is as it first appears. We know nearly nothing of this fledgling warrior or how he came to be in this situation. All that is absolutely clear is that he is an archer. Take a look at this bow."

Yuuko knelt down next to the young boy and ran her fingers along the massive bow. She had never seen anything like it. It looked heavy and wide and nothing like the thin and lightweight version she herself used.

"Can you even retain any agility while lugging this giant thing around? It seems like it's built for power, but greatly hinders mobility."

Minako nodded before picking the bow up and assessing its weight in her hands.

"Hmm, it's not as heavy as it looks, but certainly doesn't hold a candle to yours in that department."

Minako patted the young boy down, checking his body for any other injuries and also any clues to his identity.

"This armor doesn't provide much protection, either. Looks just like regular leather or hide."

Minako removed a shuriken from a pouch at her hip and poked at the young man's chest piece. She was nearly blasted backward by a sudden flash of magic.

"Hoo hoo! Enchanted armor! He's got connections, this one. Enchanted armor of this quality is hard to come by on your own."

Yuuko leaned in and checked the man's injured leg. She gingerly reached for the cloth being used to stave off the poison and received a small shock when her fingers brushed up against it.

"Well, this is enchanted too. We'll have to wait for him to regain consciousness before we can fully treat the wound. At least he's been granted some more time on this earth for the time being."

Minako turned her attention to the strange armor piece the young archer had on his head.

"What a strange looking hat…it's such an odd shape."

When Minako removed the hat, the young man's golden locks tumbled out. Both women gasped as the shiny hair shimmered in the sunlight. Yuuko grabbed Minako's shoulder and shook her excitedly.

"Minako-San! Look! His hair is the color of pale wheat!"

"Damn, foreigners are really something else. He must be all the way from Occidentis."

"Really? That's incredible! I've never met anyone from there before! Have you?"

"I've seen a couple out on my missions, but never one with hair like that. He has eyes like your familiar."

Yuuko looked down at the little orange fox calmly grooming herself next to her. She reached down and scratched behind one of its years, causing a leg to thump rhythmically on the ground. Yuuko giggled.

"Maybe that's why she was drawn to him. She would have never gone near him had she sensed anything off about him. Momiji's skill at reading hearts is second only to Lord Katsuki's."

Just then, two sets of fox years twitched and swiveled as they picked up a new sound. Yuuko looked up toward the northern part of the forest.

"Takeshi is here."

A few seconds later, a male kitsune with dark monk robes burst through the thicket. He carried with him a golden shakujoo, its rings making a light jangling sound with each movement.

"The area is safe, those four demons are gone now."

Yuuko walked up to Takeshi and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, darling. We need your help with another pressing matter now."

Yuuko stepped aside and Takeshi was able to see the fallen young archer for the first time.

He sighed before shooting an amused look at his wife.

"Picking up strays now, are we? Are our triplets not enough for you?"

Minako chortled and snorted as she burst into hearty laughter.

"That's exactly what I said to her earlier, Nishigori!

Yuuko tapped her foot impatiently on the ground as her tail swished angrily from left to right.

"Ha, ha. You're _so_ funny. Now, if you're both done having a good laugh at my expense, we have a poisoned youngster here who is going to need another dose of antidote soon. We need to get him back to camp."

Takeshi brought his palms together and touched them to his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Yuuko. You know how much I enjoy teasing you."

"Hmph. We'll see how much you enjoy sleeping outside tonight."

Takeshi rubbed the back of his head as he laughed nervously.

"Let's not be too hasty now."

He pointed to the young unconscious archer.

"Here, put the boy on my back. I'll carry him to camp."

Yuuko nodded. "I'll carry his bow and hat." She then turned to Minako.

"Minako, take to the trees and make sure we don't get ambushed."

Minako nodded before taking off in a burst of speed and hopping up onto the nearest tree.

With the preparations complete, the group set off toward their camp. The kitsune couple ran swiftly through the forest while a shinobi watched over them as she hopped through the treetops.

terminology_

shuriken - ninja star

familiar - animal spirit / companion

shakujoo - pilgrim's staff. See Miroku from Inuyasha. Takeshi Nishigori's look was based on his character

kitsune - fox - Yuuko and Takeshi are human/kitsune hanyou (half human, half kitsune)

shinobi - a high level ninja, trained in the art of stealth


	3. A Dragon in the Phoenix Den

Yuuko had sent Momiji ahead with a note to warn those at the camp of their impending arrival as well as of their special cargo. The poison was still coursing through the young archer's system and would need to be dealt with immediately. They had to figure out a way to get that bandage off and treat the wound before it started to fester. It was strong magic, unlike anything Yuuko had ever encountered. She had always prided herself in the strength of her fire magic, and felt utterly baffled as to why it had had no effect on whatever magic the young archer possessed.

They made it to the camp to find the gates already open and a recovery area set up for their injured guest. Yuuko and her husband ran ahead while Minako stayed behind to check the perimeter of the camp and make sure that they hadn't been followed. She rejoined the others a short while later after she had completed her task. Yuuko placed the young archer onto the pallet they had prepared for him and set to work immediately. She removed the young man's armor and garments then dressed him in a clean yukata. She picked up the most intimate piece of cloth the young man had been wearing and looked it over with great curiosity.

"I have never seen a fundoshi ***** like this before. What a bizarre-looking thing."

Minako stepped in close and took the garment from Yuuko's hand before turning it around in her own.

"Indeed, it's rather strange. But, to its credit…it appears to be much easier to put on and remove than a fundoshi. It definitely offers more…uh…coverage than a fundoshi."

Yuuko nodded and was about to speak when a guard entered the tent.

"Attention! Lord Katsuki has arrived."

Minako, Yuuko and Nishori immediately went down on one knee and bowed their heads. The flap to the tent was opened and Emperor Yuri Katsuki was ushered inside. The guard bowed deeply to the lord before turning on his heel and making his exit.

"Please rise, all of you. We're not at the castle, there's no need for such formality."

The three warriors lifted their heads and smiled as they stood back up.

Minako stepped forward and pinched the lord's cheek with her thumb and index finger.

"Yuri, Yuri…you're much too soft on your subjects."

Lord Katsuki playfully swatted at the shinobi's hand before clearing his throat.

"Yes, yes…so I hear. Would you rather have a strict and unforgiving emperor then? I could always change…"

Yuuko stepped in close and patted Lord Katsuki's shoulder.

"Yuri, we respect you as our Emperor because you are brave, kind, and fair. Not because you're some tyrant to be feared."

A light flush colored the emperor's face and he quickly reached for the fan tucked into his obi, opening it to hide his face.

"Ah, th-thank you. Please be at ease, I have no plans to change my ruling style."

Yuuko excused herself and returned to her patient while Nishigori turned to speak to the lord.

"You're a bit early. I thought you were due to arrive tomorrow."

"Yes, that is true. However, I was informed by our generals back in Orientalis that there had been increased demon activity in the area and they sensed an impending attack. So I hastened to travel here."

The lord looked over Nishigori's shoulder and noticed the unconscious archer laid out on the tatami.

"What do we know about our guest? Any new developments?"

Nishigori stepped aside to allow the young lord a clear path to their guest.

"No new developments, but he's about to get a second dose of antidote. I wish I could remove the bandage on his leg to treat his wound, but it's been enchanted with a kind of magic I am unfamiliar with."

Lord Katsuki stepped up to their young guest to get a better look. The surprise at what he saw showed clearly on his face.

"He's so young!"

Yuuko nodded.

"Yes, he is. We think that this may have been his first mission. He seems inexperienced and untested."

The lord shook his head and sighed.

"This cursed war with the demons keeps claiming younger and younger lives. Armies these days are replacing their soldiers with children. It disgusts me."

The young lord turned to Minako.

"So, what do we know about him?"

"He's an archer, he has golden hair and green eyes, he has strange fundoshi, strange enchanted armor, and an enchanted leg bandage we can't seem to get off."

Lord Katsuki raised an eyebrow quizzically as he turned to look at Yuuko.

"An enchantment that even _you_ were unable to break? This is I must see."

The young lord reached down toward the bandage and allowed his hand to hover above it as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the familiar heat build up in the pit of his stomach and flow outward into the fingertips of his extended hand. He imagined the flames leaving his fingers and swirling around the bandage. He felt a slight resistance as his flames finally reached their destination. Sparks formed as the two magics came in contact with another. The three other conscious occupants of the room were immediately on guard and ready to jump in should their emperor be in peril. The lord sensed their concern and held up a hand.

"Worry not, the foreign magic is simply resisting my attempts to probe it."

The lord refocused on the magic he sensed in front of him. It was unlike any magic he had ever experienced. He couldn't be sure, but he felt a coldness radiating from it. His excitement grew as he delved into it. Its novelty and strangeness absolutely fascinated him. The lord probed deeper, amplifying the intensity of his magic. The foreign magic tried to match him, but was ultimately overpowered. The lord raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. As he did so, the enchanted bandage burst into flames and disintegrated. The two kitsune hanyou gasped in awe and the shinobi smirked.

 _That's our Yuri_ , thought Minako. _They don't call him the strongest fire magic user of all time for nothing._

Lord Katsuki opened his eyes and looked down at the young archer. He had to know what that magic was. He turned to look at Yuuko.

"Where are his things?"

Yuuko led Lord Katsuki to the pile containing his armor, garments and weapon.

Lord Katsuki picked each item up individually and examined it with great scrutiny. His brow furrowed when he got to the armor.

"This armor has been enchanted with the same kind of magic as the bandage. It's a much stronger enchantment, however…definitely from another source than our young archer friend."

Lord Katsuki picked up the archer's shirt and marveled at its iridescence. The material resembled the scales of a lizard and shone like the wings of a butterfly. He was fully enthralled and mesmerized by it. As he put the shirt down and reached for the strange-looking hakama, something heavy and metallic fell out of the pile. He bent down and picked it up, feeling its weight in his hands. When he turned it around, he gasped.

All three warriors were at his side in an instant.

Minako was the first to speak.

"What is it Yuri?"

Lord Katsuki held out the item and pointed to the emblem etched into it.

"This blue thing here is a dragon."

Yuuko leaned in close and cocked her head to the side as she scrunched up her nose.

"THAT'S a dragon? That looks _nothing_ like a dragon!"

"It's not a dragon that we here at Orientalis would recognize, this is a dragon from Occidentis."

Minako perked up at the mention of Occidentis.

"Yuri…a blue dragon…from Occidentis…is this…?"

Yuri nodded solemnly at the shinobi.

"Yes, Minako. This is the crest of the ice dragon magic clan."

Yuuko covered her mouth with both hands and Nishigori threw an arm around her shoulders.

He turned to look at Lord Katsuki.

"Ice Dragon Magic clan? What would they be doing here, so close to our territory? Our clans have never crossed paths."

Lord Katsuki stared pensively at the crest.

"Where we are now is considered neutral territory. This is why the demons have decided to build their base here. It is possible that the Ice Dragon Magic clan also received reports of the increased demonic activity and sent their own delegation to investigate."

Yuuko snorted derisively.

"A delegation? They sent a whelp…one still wet behind the ears."

Lord Katsuki placed a hand on Yuuko's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"Yuuko…I know that being a mother makes you protective of children in general, but please don't allow it to cloud your judgment. We barely know anything about the situation. We must wait until the young one is well enough to speak to us and tell us what happened."

Minako shot Yuuko a smug 'I told you so' look and the young kitsune hanyou pouted dejectedly.

Nishigori planted a kiss on his wife's cheek before addressing his lord.

"So…what do we do now?"

Lord Katsuki tapped a fingernail against the crest.

"We message the dragons and tell them one of their fledglings has fallen into our nest."

Fundoshi - traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton.


	4. Author's Note: Fic Art Links and Info

Hey everyone! I have created a Tumblr account where I will post all my fanfic artistic goodies. So far I have finished the two family crests and 75% of the characters from the first actual chapter: Yuuko, Minako and Nishigori. Currently working on Yurio. I am so excited to get to Yuri and Viktor. They are gonna look SO boss. I can't wait to share them with you.

Also, one major change in this fic: Yuri will be older than Mari. So he will be the older brother instead of the younger one.


	5. First Contact

Two shadows appeared from different directions within the forest and met in the clearing in the middle.

Once the shadows stepped into the light, it became clear that one was a male and one was a female.

The female spoke first.

"Any sign of him?"

The male shadow shook his head.

"No, I lost his trail not far from where we were separated."

The female gritted her teeth and growled in frustration.

"That bullheaded spoiled little brat! I KNEW something like this would happen. He should have never been sent on this mission. I should have told him to stay at the camp."

The young male placed a hand on the female's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't put all the blame on yourself, Sara. I am also responsible for allowing us to get separated."

The male sighed dejectedly.

"I don' t think that telling him to stay at camp would have worked. He _never_ listens to _anyone_. He probably would have wandered off on his own the moment we turned our backs."

"Ugghh, I know! This whole situation is just so frustrating. We can't even complete our missions now because if we don't find him…King Nikiforov is going to have our heads."

"Speaking of which, we need to inform the castle immediately that Squire Plisetsky has gone missing."

Sara fisted her hands at her sides and shook as her anger threatened to boil over.

"I am going to pull that punk's ears SO hard the next time I see him, he's going to hurt for weeks."

The young male laughed.

"Just be sure to leave something for _me_."

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep and calming breath. She exhaled slowly and composed herself before taking out a piece of parchment and an enchanted quill. As creepy as their sorcerer was, she could not deny that he produced some incredible enchanted items. The quill did not need ink and would write in a code only known to the ice dragon magic clan. Before she touched the quill to the paper, she activated the enchantment.

"Scribo."

The quill glowed an icy blue in her hand, signaling that it was ready for use. She began to write:

 _Esteemed Ruler,_

 _I regret to inform you that we became separated from Squire Plisetsky during a demon attack. We currently do not know his current location or status. Attempts to track him have been unsuccessful. We await further instructions. Sara._

Once she had finished writing, she ended the enchantment.

"Finio."

Once the word was spoken, the letters on the parchment seemed to come alive. They morphed into strange symbols and rearranged themselves around on the page.

The male let out a whistle as he watched the magic happen before his eyes.

"That is strangely fascinating and terrifyingly disturbing at the same time."

Sara nodded in agreement as she rolled up the parchment.

"Sure is useful, though. Keeps our messages from being decrypted if they are ever intercepted."

The young woman brought her thumb and index finger up to her mouth and whistled sharply. Within seconds, a beautiful brown hawk came down from the treetops and landed on her extended arm.

"Hey there, Ciocco. Good girl."

The hawk screeched happily as the young woman stroked her neck. Sara reached into a pouch attached to her belt and removed a piece of dry meat for the hawk.

"Sorry it's not fresh, girl. I'll get you something good when you come back."

The hawk took the dried meat from the woman's fingers and swallowed it whole.

"This is a very special message, Ciocco. Get it to the castle as soon as you can."

Sara secured the small roll of parchment to the hawk's left leg before lifting her arm to launch the bird of prey into the air.

"Sbrigare *****!"

Both watched as the hawk took to the skies and disappeared into the clouds.

The male spoke as he continued to stare up at the sky.

"So what do we do now?"

Sara sighed.

"Let's keep searching for clues. Hopefully we can at least discover the direction he ran off in. He's probably gotten himself hopelessly lost in this dense forest."

_ meanwhile _

Emperor Katsuki sat at his desk, parchment laid out in front of him and brush in hand. He thought very carefully about what he was about to write. This would be the first ever contact with the foreign ice magic clan and he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. He thanked his lucky stars that he had been taught so many languages as a child. Among them was Anglicus; the common foreign language spoken all throughout Occidentis. The emperor took a deep breath and dipped his brush lightly in the ink.

 _Honorable King Nikiforov of Occidentis,_

 _I, Emperor Katsuki from Orientalis send you my warmest greetings. I wish that the first contact between our clans was on better terms. I regret to inform you that we encountered a fallen warrior from your clan near our encampment at the neutral territory of Mumei No Shima. He had been severely poisoned and is currently in our care. He is still unconscious, so we do not know his name. He is a young archer with golden hair and green eyes. We are treating his wounds and extend our full protection to him until he is fully recovered._

 _Best regards,_

 _Emperor Katsuki._

The young lord eyed his letter over critically as he checked it for any mistakes or sloppy writing. Satisfied that it was a letter fit for a king, he folded it up and poured red wax on it before imprinting his royal seal.

The young lord eyed his letter over critically as he checked it for any mistakes or sloppy writing. Satisfied that it was a letter fit for a king, he folded it up and poured red wax on it before imprinting his royal seal on it.

"Kenjiro."

A small and slim form stepped out of the shadows and knelt before the emperor.

"Yes, Lord Katsuki. How many I be of service?"

"I need you to take this letter to King Nikiforov in Occidentis."

"Lord Katsuki, I have never been to Occidentis, I do not know where it is."

"I am aware, Kenjiro. Worry not."

"I apologize, Lord Katsuki. What would you like me to do?"

"You will take my best horse and one of my guards with you to the shore. A boat will be waiting for you there to take you across the strait to the land of Occidentis. The guard will accompany you to the island and Azami will be following right behind you. Use him to courier this letter into the castle once it's within sight. We do not yet know if they are friendly toward strangers or not, I do not wish to risk your life."

The young servant bowed his head until it touched the floor.

"Thank you, Lord Katsuki. You are much too kind to this worthless servant."

"Kenjiro, stop that. Look at me."

"Yes, Lord Katsuki."

The young servant raised his head and sat back on his heels as he folded his hands in his lap.

"That's better. Now, my sources tell me that their castle is quite close to the sea. So you won't need to travel far."

"Yes, Lord Katsuki. As you wish."

Lord Katsuki looked eyed his servant critically.

"Are you certain that you can you handle this assignment, Kenjiro? It's a very important one."

The young servant immediately shot to his feet and clenched one of his hands into a fist.

"Yes! Of course, Lord Katsuki! I would do anything for you!"

The lord stepped in close to his servant.

"Kenjiro, you are my best and most trustworthy servant. I have absolute faith in you."

Kenjiro's eyes sparkled at his lord's praise.

"I apologize for having to ask this of you. Normally I would just send Azami, but he too has never been to Occidentis."

"You are the Emperor Lord Katsuki, you do not need to apologize for anything!"

The emperor groaned inwardly. Sometimes Kenjiro's enthusiastic devotion was a bit overwhelming.

"Make the appropriate preparations for the long journey. You shall leave once darkness has fully fallen."

"Kenjiro bowed deeply to his lord before excusing himself and leaving the study."

Having finished his royal duties for the afternoon, the young lord went to check on the young archer. He found Yuuko already in the tent, redressing the young man's wound.

"Greetiings, Yuuko. How goes the recovery?"

"Greetings, Yuri. Well, thanks to you we were able to gain access to his wound. Demon viper venom is awful stuff. I've been working on purifying the wound and packing it with poultice. We're lucky that we got to him when we did. He wouldn't have lasted much longer."

"How did you know where to find him?"

Yuuko's surprise showed clearly on her face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Yuri. I thought someone had told you already. It was Momiji. She apparently got himself covered in thorns and went to the young man for help. Then she called out to us to come help her new friend."

The young lord was clearly impressed by this new bit of information.

"Momiji deemed him trustworthy enough to approach? Fascinating!"

"Aren't you worried at all about this stranger in our midst, Yuri? We've haven't had any dealings with this clan since the Gods bestowed their power upon us. We both fight for humanity...but we have no idea what kind of people they are. Certainly you've heard the rumors?"

Young Lord Katsuki sighed as he took a seat next to the kitsune maiden.

"Of course I have heard the rumors. Who hasn't? Members of The Ice Dragon Clan are supposedly as cold and unforgiving as the element they represent. 'Brutish, barbaric and unreasonable folk' they say.

"Exactly! I'm not one to turn away anyone who clearly needs help...but we can't let our guard down. We don't know yet what we've brought into our inner circle. If he's an assassin or has assassin friends...your life is in danger!"

The young lord took the kistune's hands into his own.

"It warms my heart that you have such concern for my safety and well-being, Yuuko. I've known you all my life and there is no one else I'd rather entrust it to. But please try to have some faith in your Emperor. I may be kind, but I am neither stupid nor weak. I can more than hold my own in battle and have eyes that can see down to any creature's very soul."

"Oh, Yuri...I didn't mean to imply that you were any of those things...I..."

"I _also_ have great faith in _you_ in your judgment. There is no way you would have brought a dangerous character to our camp. Momiji also would have never approached him had she felt even the slightest hint of evil."

The kitsune maiden gave her Emperor's hands a tight squeeze.

"Thank you Yuri. Your words mean the world to me."

"Worry not. I shall weigh this young man's worth as soon as he opens his eyes. We will certainly know then what we are dealing with."

_index _

Scribo - write (Latin)

Finio - Finish (Latin)

Sbrigare - Italian (quickly/hurry)

Mumei No Shima - 無名の島 Nameless Island

Azami – means thistle. It's the name of Lord Katsuki's eagle


	6. The Princess of Kyaltaesi

Deep blue eyes stared unblinking at the vast expanse of water flanking the eastern face of the castle. The sun was setting and it bathed the horizon in rich tones of burnt orange and ruddy gold; the surrounding clouds in deep and intense hues of indigo and violet.

A contented sigh slipped past the young woman's lips as she drank in the natural beauty. She never got sick watching these sunsets by the sea. Prior to coming to Замок Дракона (Zamok Drakona) she had never even laid eyes on the sea before. She had been born and raised in the deep mountain Elvish Empire of Kyaltaesi, and had never dreamed of the sea before. It had been the only thing that had brought her any form of solace and comfort when she had been uprooted from her home and carted off to serve the _almighty great_ King Yegor Nikiforov. The young woman snorted in a very unladylike manner as she recalled how she had been practically dragged, kicking and screaming, to serve that pompous ass.

"Mila! Watch your manners, child. You are a princess. You should act like one."

The young woman looked over disdainfully at her maid servant Lilia. The old woman was an uptight and cantankerous nag. Lilia had been sent to the castle by her mother to ensure that she would continue to receive elven education and be taught the ways of their people. She suspected that her mother had specifically chosen Lilia as a kind of punishment for all the grief she had given her as a child.

"Yes, yes…of course Lilia."

She turned her head and rolled her eyes as she resumed watching the sunset. _I've never cursed my birthright as much as I had, then._ Being the first-born of the King and Queen of Kyaltaesi had sealed her fate the day she'd been brought into the world. All thanks to a clause stipulated in the peace treaty between their two kingdoms. For just under 500 years, her proud race had been forced to send their sons and daughters to Occidentis to keep the ice dragons happy.

In her first year at the castle, she had managed to run away at least twice a month. She smirked, knowing that she had given the ice dragon clan much more than they had bargained for. To human eyes, she had appeared no older than 6 years old when she had arrived, but in elven years, she had already been in her 20s. They had underestimated her because of her size, and she had outsmarted them all. She was a free spirit, one who refused to be tamed or confined. Her temper was legendary, and everything, down to the auburn color of her hair, screamed 'spitfire'. She viewed herself as indomitable. It was only when her mother had desperately pleaded with her to end her rebellion before it ruined things between their kingdoms forever that she had finally acquiesced and 'behaved' herself. She had made her mother promise, however, that she would not be forced to marry anyone from the Nikiforov family or his court.

Since then, she had lived through two and a half generations of the Nikiforov family. Things had become more bearable once Yegor had finally passed away and his son Dimitri had taken over. Dimitri had been a much better and kinder ruler than his father. He had still carried the overflowing arrogance that was the trademark of the Nikiforov family, but had at least been a more reasonable man than his father. He had foolishly attempted to court her, nearly driving her mad with his persistence, but she had firmly rebuffed all his efforts. Thankfully, Dimitri had then met Ekaterina (Katya) Kozlova at the royal spring ball and had become instantly smitten. Ekaterina was a shimmering beacon of beauty, grace and wit. She had floor length silver hair and eyes the color of the sea. She was fierce, cunning and not afraid to put the King in his place when he stepped out of line. They were married less than two months later and she bore the next Nikiforov heir before the year was over.

Ekaterina had treated Mila with nothing but respect and dignity from the first day they had ever met. Mila, in turn, had returned that respect and dignity a hundred-fold. The two of them had formed a friendship early on that had only grown stronger as the years passed. She suspected that they had both recognized a bit of themselves in each other, and that's what why they had always been able to get along well. Her son, Viktor, had thankfully taken after his mother in both looks and temperament. Mila can honestly say that Viktor was the first Nikiforov she actually liked. Katya had raised him with a loving, but firm hand. The elven princess' eyes filled with tears as she inevitably remembered the day Katya had been taken from them.

Viktor was only 14 years old when his mother died. The royal family had been on its way back to Occidentis from a diplomatic visit to a neighboring kingdom when a large pack of demons had ambushed their caravan a short distance away from the castle. They had been caught completely off-guard and had been unprepared to deal with the onslaught. Their only saving grace had been the presence of General Kemhebek Altin, a brave and decorated soldier who had repeatedly put his life on the line to protect the royal family. General Altin had commanded his four lieutenants to stay behind to fight off the demons and had gone ahead to escort the King, Queen and Prince to the castle with three of his top guards. Unbeknownst to them at the time, they had a traitor in their midst. A large bounty had been placed on Viktor's head by the Demon King. One of the royal guards had struck a deal with the demons. They had filled his head with promises of more gold than he'd know what to do with, and so the guard had turned on the family that had employed generation upon generation of their sons as royal guards. The guard had waited until everyone was distracted before he made his move. He had drawn his sword and charged at the prince, aiming straight for his heart. Certain that no one would be able to react in the time, the guard had felt confident that victory was all but assured. Instead, he had found his sword piercing the chest of the Queen. The guard had been immediately taken down by the other two, but it was too late for the Queen. She had sacrificed herself and given her life so that her son could live. She died in her husband's and son's arms a short time later, noble and dignified to the very end, while the others had looked on helplessly.

The entire castle, no kingdom, had gone into mourning at the loss of the Queen. Dimitri especially had been a total wreck; disoriented and despondent. The light had completely gone from his eyes and he had become an empty shell of his former self overnight. General Altin had immediately resigned from his post, citing his inability to protect the Queen as his greatest failure and shame. The guilt he felt dogged him and followed him to the grave. During the wake, Viktor had been a silent, stoic and unreadable statue. He had mechanically thanked all those who had stopped by to offer their condolences, having taken the duty over from his father, who had been catatonic throughout the entire ordeal. At the funeral, everyone had been shocked to discover that Prince Viktor had cut off his long locks as a sign of respect for his departed mother and his profound mourning. His face had remained impassive, and he had not openly shed a single tear since the death of the Queen. People began to question if he was even upset over the Queen's death at all, but Mila knew better. She had been there when Viktor had completely broken down and lost himself in the overwhelming grief and loss. She had held him and comforted him while his pain had resonated within her own heart. Katya had been like a sister to her, and the loss had hit her hard. In private, when it was just the two of them, they allowed themselves to grieve openly. Publicly, they put on a mask for those around him. Viktor's father had completely fallen apart, and it was up to him to be the strong one and take charge. The whole kingdom would have crumbled had both of them gone into a tailspin.

Dimitri had sunk further and further into depression as time passed. Viktor found himself having to take over more and more royal duties from his father. He was forced to grow up fast and became the new king in every way but on paper. No one was really surprised when less than four years after Ekaterina's death, Dimitri followed after her, having died from a broken heart. He had steadily wasted away during those years and had even begun refusing to leave his chambers toward the end. He had simply lost the will to live. And so, not even one month after his eighteenth birthday, Viktor Nikforov made history by becoming the youngest Nikiforov in half a millennium to ascend to the throne. The four years of having unofficially ruled the kingdom turned out to benefit the new king greatly. He had gained most of the knowledge and prestige needed to transition into his new role smoothly.

That had been 10 years ago. During this time, Viktor had grown into a king Mila was truly proud of. He looked so much like his mother that sometimes looking at him took her breath away. For a split second she'd feel as if she were staring into the face of her dearly departed Katya. He had the same silvery hair and sea-blue eyes, and thankfully only a smidge of the Nikiforov conceit.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

Mila was startled out of her reverie by the sound of Lilia's voice.

"Yeah. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her."

"I know, child. You have done well to honor her memory by being such a good friend and adviser to King Viktor."

"It's the least I can do, you know? To try and help him grow into the kind of man that she'd be proud of."

"Let's not speak of such morose things. The night is young and the future of the kingdom is bright. Come, shall we have a dance lesson to get your mind off of things?"

Mila sighed as she stared out the window once more. The sun had disappeared fully behind the horizon and the moon was now visible in the sky.

"Perhaps I _should_ have a dance lesson right now. Heaven knows I could use the distraction."

Mila tore herself away from the window and made her way to her wardrobe. She was in the middle of choosing her dancing outfit when her ears perked up at a familiar sound.

"Lilia…it's Ciocco! She's almost at the castle."

The older woman seemed a bit surprised at the news.

"That's the assassin's hawk. She's away on a mission right now with her brother and that young archer boy, no?"

"Right." Mila ran over to her desk and grabbed her padded glove. Her ears swiveled around once more and she gasped.

"What is it, child? What does she say?"

"She has an urgent message. She's been flying all day without stopping. Lilia, she's absolutely exhausted!"

The older woman was immediately on her feet.

"I'll prepare some water and food for her."

"Thank you, Lilia."

Mila had inherited quite a few things from her father, including the color of her hair as well as her strength. She had also inherited his abilities as a 'whisperer'. A whisperer was someone who could hear the thoughts of creatures and communicate with them. She was a rather powerful one. She ran back up to the window and extended her gloved hand out into the night. _I'm here. I await you._

Less than a minute later, the beautiful brown hawk landed on her outstretched arm. Mila immediately pulled her arm into the room and stroked the bird's head gently. She reached down and pulled the small slip of paper from the hawk's leg.

"Good girl, Ciocco. You did very well. I shall tell Sara of your bravery next time I see her."

The bird's chest heaved as it panted from sheer exhaustion.

Just then, Lilia returned to the room with water and fresh meat for the bird of prey. Mila set the bird down in a makeshift nest she always had at the corner of her room. While Lilia tended to the bird, she unrolled the paper.

"Revelare."

The gibberish symbols on the page changed into letters and rearranged themselves on the page. Mila read the message and groaned.

Lilia was instantly by her side.

"It it bad news, child?"

Mila nodded. "The worst news. It seems that they've been separated from Squire Plisetsky and they have no idea where he is. I bet you anything that little bastard ran off on his own and managed to get himself into trouble or worse."

Mila quickly rolled up the piece the piece of paper.

"I need to take this message to Viktor immediately. This requires immediate action. Keep an eye on Ciocco. Don't let her eat until she's cooled down completely."

"As you wish, lady Mila."

The young redhead rolled her eyes as she opened the door and ran out in search of the king.

_terminology_

Zamok Drakona (Castle Dragon)


	7. A Servant's Tale

Kenjirou Minami was his name, and he was Emperor Katsuki's personal servant. Serving Lord Katsuki was the biggest source of pride in his whole world. He may have been born into the position, but he absolutely loved his work and looked up to Lord Katsuki as the epitome of an honorable and just ruler. His Lord was fair, just, courageous and highly skilled. His Lord treated his subjects as people and not simply as tools to help him run an empire. His Lord was powerful and a force to be reckoned with. Yes, he was Kenjirou Minami, and he simply adored his Lord. He admits that he even secretly has a painting of the emperor he keeps hidden under his bed roll. He had saved his earnings and purchased the painting of Lord Katsuki from the town near their castle. The artist had beautifully captured Lord Katsuki's handsome features. Kenjirou felt closer than ever to his Lord having the painting nearby as he slept.

He was only seven years old the first time he was introduced to Lord Katsuki. The future Lord was still quite young then, only fourteen years old. It was the day of Kenjirou's initiation into royal service and he had been tasked with the role of **_Teishu_** (host) of the **_Hakobi-Temae_**. He had trained extensively for the special occasion for a whole year and had felt ready to impress his future Lord. He had sent the invitations and cleaned the garden around the teahouse. He had received offers of assistance from his mother, but had insisted on doing everything himself. He had still been too young to have the meeting with the Hantou (assistant) and Shokyaku (main guest), so his mother had held the meeting in his stead. While his mother had been in the meeting, he had cleaned the tearoom, changed the Shoji paper on the sliding doors and had replaced the tatami mats. His father had overseen the preparation of the **_Kaiseki_** meal and everything was in place.

Kenjirou had started out the day feeling on top of the world. His training had prepared him for this day and he was ready to impress his new Lord. He went over each step in his mind as he performed the ceremony. _Place bowl of sweets in front of knees on the tatami. Push door with left hand two-thirds of the way, keep right hand on lap, then cross right hand in front of body and open it the rest of the way._ He executed his issokutachi perfectly as he stood up and remembered to take the first step with his left foot. He had successfully avoided stepping on the edges of the tatami and sat down before setting the bowl close to the young emperor. He had said the required 'Okashi o dōzo' while bowing and the young emperor had bowed back silently. He had made it through the bringing in of the utensils, remembering to keep track of which utensil belonged in which hand at any given time. He made the tea, whisking it to near-perfection. He had picked up the tea bowl and turned it anti-clockwise so that the front side was facing the young emperor before he served it. And then, that's when he saw it, the spider on his sleeve.

Kenjirou Minami had been born brave and courageous. Kenjirou Minami had inherited his mother's skills as a steely-eyed warrior and his father's cool head under pressure. Kenjirou Minami had not been born with, nor inherited a tolerance for spiders. He had immediately broken into a cold sweat and his concentration had quickly gone out the window. It had taken him every ounce of self-control to not drop everything and run screaming from the ceremony, young emperor be dammed. He had felt his hand start to shake and had fought valiantly to steady it. Spilling the tea was _not_ an option. He would have brought great shame and disgrace to not only himself, but his whole family as well.

As the spider began crawling along his sleeve toward the tea bowl, he had been at a complete loss of what to do and had been on the verge of panic. Spilled tea might be better than tea with a spider swimming in it. Scenarios started flooding his head. _Would he get beheaded? Would his family be exiled?_ Kenjiro found himself on the verge of tears. A closed fan had suddenly tapped gently at his sleeve then, dislodging the spider. He had raised his eyes slightly and caught the bottom half of the young emperor's face, his mouth curved in a gentle smile.

"This kimono is absolutely exquisite. The wave pattern is subtle, but quite obvious to someone with a keen eye for detail."

He had been thrown a lifeline, and jumped at it. He made sure to avert his eyes as he spoke to the guest of honor.

"You are very kind and generous in your praise, young Lord. I am humbled."

With the spider gone, the rest of the ceremony had gone smoothly and finished without any further hiccups. Once every guest had had their fill of tea, the ceremony had ended and the cleanup began. After everything had been taken care of and he had finally been given leave of his duties, he had made a beeline for the Zen garden. He had managed to hold everything together in front of his family, but the stress of the whole ordeal and the narrowly avoided disaster had finally caught up to him. He had gone to a hidden little corner of the garden and had wept as silently as he could while it all worked its way out of his system.

A soft and tender voice suddenly filled his little corner of the garden.

"A spider may not have the beauty of a bird, the softness of a fox kit, nor the grace of a koi fish…but it _has_ great purpose."

Kenjirou wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked up to see the back of the young emperor sitting discreetly on a nearby bench.

"Without spiders, we would be overwhelmed by blood-sucking pests and our produce would be devoured before we could harvest it."

He stopped crying completely as he listened to the young emperor's pleasant voice.

"Any animal, great or small, will generally only attack if it feels threatened. Let the animal be, and it will return the favor."

The young emperor had then dropped his left arm down behind him and opened his hand. He wiggled his fingers ever-so-slightly, motioning for him to come closer. Kenjirou crawled over slowly, making sure to stay low and hidden behind the bench. He had placed his smaller hand into that of the young emperor's, whose fingers had then curled around it. His little heart had fluttered with sheer joy at the gesture. He was instantly star struck.

"You did well today for one so young, Kenjirou Minami. You faced an unforeseen obstacle, and carried on with your duty while enduring overwhelming fear. I look forward to seeing what you become."

The young emperor had given his hand one last squeeze before releasing it and gracefully walking out of the garden. What happened in the Zen garden that day was a secret he had kept all to himself. Not only because it was his special memory, but also because such comradery with 'lowly' servants was generally frowned upon and grounds for punishment. It made what happened even more amazing to him because the young emperor had risked trouble to bring him those words of encouragement. He had decided, right there and then, that he would become the best damn servant in all of Orientalis. He would become the best because the young emperor deserved it. He would work hard and acquire all the skills he needed for his role before the young emperor assumed his reign. He would become the kind of servant the young emperor would be proud of.

Ten years had passed since that day. He had avidly soaked in every skill offered to him during training and learned some others on his own. He had gladly gone to bed countless times with a sore and battered body after sword practice, because one day that body would protect the emperor. He relished the callouses that had developed on his hands, for they were akin to badges of honor. The young emperor had saved him from catastrophic disgrace and had shown uncharacteristic kindness to a lowly servant. He would follow that man and serve him anywhere.

Presently, Kenjirou Minami was about to go on a highly important mission for his Lord, and he was absolutely terrified. He had grown comfortable running missions for his Lord back in the familiar lands of Orientalis. He knew the people, he knew the landscape and he knew the dangers. Occidentis was completely unknown, and the unknown was a terrifying thing. He had complete faith in his emperor's wisdom, and knew that his life would not be risked needlessly. He had more than enough courage to get him through just about anything. Still, he felt uneasy about heading into the foreign land. Kenjirou did one final check of his preparations and stepped outside into the moonlight. A stable hand holding the reins of a beautiful white horse awaited him. His royal escort was already mounted on his own horse, ready for departure.

Kenjirou turned to the guard and bowed deeply toward him.

"It is an honor to receive your protection, royal guard. I place myself in your capable hands!"

He mounted the white horse and followed the guard as they galloped toward the shore. As he looked up at the night sky, he saw Azami flying overhead. The emperor's eagle was a creature of incredible beauty. It was impressively large, fierce and the Katsuki clan's very own 'guard dog'. It had these knowing yellow eyes that unsettled nearly everyone it focused it's stare on. Incurring the wrath of Azami was not recommended if you valued things such as your eyes, ears or any other easily accessible body part. Lucky for him, Azami saw him as part of his 'family' and actually allowed him to stroke his head every once in a while.

A few years ago, he had been out accompanying the emperor on a horseback ride through the countryside when they had first come across Azami. He had been just an ugly little thing back then, covered in patchy down and writhing pitifully in a patch of thistle bushes. He had either fallen or been pushed out of the nest, and had been abandoned and left on his own to die. The emperor, with his keen senses, had heard the chick's faint cries and immediately located him. He had freed the chick from its thistly prison, having gotten his hand scratched quite badly in the process. He had gently tucked the weak chick into his kimono and they had hurried back to the castle. The emperor had insisted on hand-raising the chick himself, and after some initial doubts as to whether it would survive the ordeal or not, it bounced back and began to grow steadily. It was named Azami after the place it had been found, and the bond between the Lord and his eagle soon became unbreakable. It followed him everywhere and kept watch over him at night as he slept. The emperor had a special way of attracting loyal servants to him in droves.

He felt reassured knowing that the eagle was there with him. They had a sharp-eyed lookout watching over them.

Before long, they had arrived at the shore. Attendants were already on standby with food and water for them as well as their animal companions. The horses were escorted to the lower deck of the large boat and Azami was left to his own devices on the upper deck. The guard made himself comfortable in his quarters and Kenjiro stood on the deck as the boat set out to sea. Four lignum magi were present on the boat with them. The first pair would use their magic to propel the boat through the water, while the second pair kept watch. They would switch out halfway through the journey. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered around as they reached a decent speed. He prayed that the first contact between their clans would be peaceful and uneventful.

_terminology_

Okashi o dōzo – please have these sweets

Issokutachi - in one smooth movement (without the buttocks touching the heels of the feet)

Hakobi-Temae (運び手前) - also called the 'Way of Tea', is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of _matcha_ (抹茶), powdered green tea.

(Cha) Kaiseki (懐石) - a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner; a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. The basic constituents of a _cha-kaiseki_ meal are the _ichijū sansai_ or "one soup, three side dishes", and the rice, plus the following: _suimono_ , _hassun_ , _yutō_ , and _kōnomono_.


	8. Informing the King

Mila ran through the castle halls as quickly as her feet could carry her. She headed straight for the library, as that was where King Nikiforov was most likely to be at this time of day. His Excellency enjoyed all kinds of literature and also found the quiet solitude of the massive library rather comforting. When she arrived at its doors however, two guards stepped in to block her path.

"Halt! The King is currently not receiving any visitors!"

"Please, let me pass. I have an urgent message for the King!"

"We have not been informed of the arrival of such a message."

Mila groaned as she covered her face with her palm. _Where does Viktor keep finding these meatheads? They're all muscle and no brain…_

"Of course you haven't been informed…it just arrived. That's why it's an _emergency_ message."

"My apologies, Princess, but not even _you_ may disturb the King at this time. We have very clear and absolute instructions to not allow _any_ disruptions to his Excellence's quietude."

Mila took a deep breath and straightened her back. She narrowed her eyes and allowed the power to rise up within her. Her normally cerulean eyes bled purple as the elven magic pumped through her veins. She called out to her most intimidating friends, sending her plea silently through vibrations she knew that only they would understand.

The guards suddenly became very uncomfortable as they noticed the change in the female before them.

"Princess, please…we're just trying to do our jobs!"

Mila paid them no mind as her ears perked up at the approaching swarm.

"It appears that I have failed to convince you of the importance of this urgent message. Perhaps my friends may have better luck."

They arrived just then, spiders, by the hundreds. They came crawling in through open windows, scurrying out from under closed doors and dropping down from the ceiling.

They formed a living wall behind the princess, their feet and fangs chattering in unison and creating an unnerving murmur. A beautiful sapphire tarantula crawled up Mila's leg and up her body, before coming to rest on the back of her left hand. Mila lifted her hand and eyed the arachnid with fascination, openly appreciating its beauty. The tarantula turned its body to face the terrified guards and wiggled its dark black fangs menacingly at them.

"Thank you for coming, friends. I promise to point you in the direction of a tasty bounty once we're through here."

Mila took a step toward the guards, her spider army moving forward in stride with her.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes…you were about to open the library doors so that I could finally deliver this ever-so-very urgent message to the King."

Knowing that they had been beaten, the guards unbolted the heavy doors and pushed them open with trembling hands before stepping aside to allow the princess through. Mila turned to her spider legion and bowed gracefully toward them as she silently released them from their duty. As the sea of arachnids parted and dispersed, the tarantula voiced its desire to stay. Mila smiled as she looked down at the stunning specimen. _Certainly! I've never before seen such a gorgeous creature as yourself. I would love to ask you about your travels!_ The tarantula wiggled its fangs and lifted then lowered its legs in an alternating pattern as it wiggled its body. Mila laughed as she brought a hand to gently stroke the creature's back. _It brings me great joy to see such happiness from you. Come, let's go see the King._ Mila lifted her hand up toward her shoulder and waited for the tarantula to crawl onto it.

The guards watched in disturbed silence at the odd exchange between the elven princess and the dinner plate-sized creepy crawler she currently held in her possession. Once the princess had stepped through the doors and they were able to close them behind her, they breathed audible sighs of relief.

"I know that her empire is one our kingdom's strongest allies…but that ability of hers is…just perturbing."

The second guard shuddered before speaking.

"Agreed. I'm not sure which is worse, the moment her eyes begin to change color like that or the trepidation that follows…waiting for whatever is to come after."

Once inside the library, Mila looked up to see the King seated in a chair facing the door. His elbows were resting on the arms of the chair and his hands were clasped together.

A teacup balanced on his knee and a bemused smile played upon his lips.

"Good evening, Your Highness. You were…expecting me?"

King Viktor motioned for Mila to take a seat.

"I hadn't been expecting you, no. But when I saw all of the library's resident spiders suddenly bolting toward the door, I figured that you couldn't be that far behind."

The princess blushed as she realized that she had been caught in the act. She gracefully picked up handfuls of her robe before taking a seat across from the King.

"That's quite a beauty you've got there. I haven't seen one in that color before."

Mila looked over to the cobalt blue spider sitting on her shoulder and smiled.

"Me neither. I feel extremely lucky to have encountered it! It…"

Mila's ears twitched and her eyes widened as she looked down at the tarantula.

The King was instantly on high alert.

"Mila, what is it?"

The auburn-haired princess brought her hand up to stifle a chuckle.

"Ah, my apologies…I was simply a bit surprised at what I heard. It appears that you have yourself a new admirer, Your Highness."

The King visibly relaxed as he leaned back into his chair.

"Oh? What does your new friend have to say about me?"

"She finds your hair extremely appealing. 'Like spun silk shimmering in the moonlight', she says."

The King brought a hand to his chest and bowed his head toward the arachnid.

"You flatter me with both your beauty and praise. Thank you, I am honored."

All eight of the tarantula's legs trembled happily before it dove behind Mila's neck, hiding itself in her hair.

Mila smiled and winked as she looked back up at the King.

"Now look at what you've done…you've embarrassed her!"

"Good heavens, that was not my intention at all. I hope that she can come out again later once she is ready."

The King picked up his teacup and took a sip before placing it on the table next to his chair.

"Now, Mila. What was so urgent that you had to terrify my guards into letting you in here?'

Mila blushed a color that nearly matched her usually fair skin to her hair. She had completely forgotten about why she'd come in the first place. She did not yet have full dominion over her powers and using them on such large numbers tended to muddle her thoughts and cause some forgetfulness.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, I carry a very urgent message from Sara, the assassin. Her hawk flew in less than an hour ago."

Mila reached into the cleft of her bosom and pulled out the piece of parchment the message was written on. As she handed it over the King, he sighed and shook his head.

"Lady Mila, that was most unladylike of you. A true lady does not keep messages hidden in her cleavage!"

The elven princess shrugged.

"My family absolutely insists on clothing me in these impractical flowing robes. Beautiful to look at, and without a single pocket in sight. You're lucky that that's where I chose to carry the message, _this time_."

The King sighed once more.

"Incorrigible."

The King unrolled the piece of paper and scanned it quickly, eyes darting back and forth as he took in the message. A dark look washed over his features and he abruptly stood up.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The King walked off and disappeared behind a large bookshelf. Mila braced herself. _Here it comes._ A stream of angry Russian obscenities and threats soon followed.

Этот невыносимый, упрямый, сопливый ублюдок! Если он как-то еще не умер, я его сам убью!

About a minute later, a slightly red-faced monarch reappeared from behind the book case, nonchalantly adjusting the collar of his suit. He walked regally back over to his chair and retook his seat. He then reached for his teacup and gulped down its remaining contents. After clearing his throat and having regained his composure, the King spoke calmly.

"Ah, ahem, yes…this is urgent news indeed. Thank you for bringing it to my immediate attention. How's the messenger hawk? Do you think she'll be ready to fly again any time soon?"

Mila shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, Ciocco is currently in no condition to fly. She pushed herself to near exhaustion flying here as quickly as she could. She requires at least a solid four hours of rest."

The King brought his finger up to his lips and he considered his options.

"Understood."

The King suddenly stood up and walked over to the writing desk. He picked up a quill and unrolled a fresh piece of parchment. Once he'd finished writing his orders, he sealed them with melted wax and his royal seal. He extended the scroll to Mila and she stood up, stepping forward to accept it.

"Take this to General Otabek Altin. It contains special instructions for the search and rescue party."

Mila nodded and bowed her head to the King.

"The general is a good choice, Your Highness. No one is more capable in combat than he."

The King smiled wryly as he looked over at the auburn-haired princess.

"General Altin is not to be the leader of this excursion. He's just the muscle."

Mila was confused.

"Pardon? I'm not sure I understand."

"I will personally lead this party. I want to be there when we find this brat…I mean, Squire Plisetsky."

Mila brought her hand up to her chin and stared at the ground as she mulled things over.

"Is it wise to leave the castle for this kind of mission? You have a highly capable general and dozens of highly-trained fighters at your disposal. I know that you feel responsible for Squire Plisetsky, but I'm quite sure that he's put himself in this situation all on his own."

The King tilted his head a bit off to the side and his lips parted to expose a dazzling white smile.

"I'm quite aware of what's at my disposal, Lady Mila. However, more than anything, what I want is to personally wring his scrawny little neck…I mean…ensure his safety and well-being. He is a valued member of the court, _after all_."

Mila sighed. King Nikiforov and Squire Plisetsky got along about as well as oil and water. They were often at each other's throats and their storied shouting matches were infamous. Squire Plisetsky had been orphaned at a very young age and had been entrusted into Viktor's care since that day. The tragedy that had befallen him at such a stage of his youth made him into a very angry and difficult young man to deal with. He often refused to listen to reason and did as he pleased, which usually resulted in the kind of situation they currently found themselves in.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I shall take this message to the general's quarters immediately."

"Thank you, Mila."

"Oh, one more thing."

Mila reached behind her neck and coaxed the tarantula back out of her hair.

"She wishes to explore the library. She's also a bit...hungry. Is that alright with you?"

The King nodded. Certainly. She is to consider herself a guest here at the castle. She's more than welcome to take care of anything she deems tasty here in the library."

Mila placed the tarantula on the ground and watched it scurry off into the library's depths.

"Be sure to inform the cleaning staff of her presence. We don't want any dead servants or guests."

"I shall."

Mila curtsied and bowed to the King before knocking on the doors to the library. The doors opened and the guards stood at attention as she passed.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Hopefully next time I'll be able to obtain your cooperation without...erm...support. Have yourselves a lovely evening."

With that, Mila set off running once more.

terminology_

Этот невыносимый, упрямый, сопливый ублюдок! Если он как-то еще не умер, я его сам убью!

(Etot nevynosimyy, upryamyy, soplivyy ublyudok! Yesli on kak-to yeshche ne umer, ya yego sam ub'yu!)

That insufferable, stubborn, snot-nosed bastard! If he somehow has not died yet, I will kill him myself!


	9. Royal Turmoil

If General Otabek Altin was surprised by the elven Princess' presence at his quarters late evening, he did not show it. Stoic and stony-faced as ever, he simply thanked the Lady for bringing the message to him before immediately breaking the King's seal and reading its contents.

"I see," was his only reply.

"Shall I...erm...take any messages for you? I don't mind. I'm on quite a roll as a royal messenger at the moment."

The young general shook his head.

"No, that won't be necessary My Lady. I shall notify the guards myself. Thank you for your efforts tonight."

Mila bowed her head slightly at the General before excusing herself and heading back to her room to check on Ciocco. _He's such a handsome young man, full of life and virility. It's a shame that he looks positively constipated most of the time. That impassive look he always has...it's absolutely nearly impossible to read!_ Mila shook her head in dismay. _It's a tragedy, really. He grew up under the specter of his father's perceived failures. He's so serious and intense all the time. I don't know if I've EVER seen him smile._ Mila sighed sadly. _I truly hope that he can find true happiness someday._ The feisty red-haired princess picked up her pace as she hurried back to her quarters.

General Otabek Altin sighed heavily. King Nikiforov had apparently been struck by another brilliant idea for an excursion and it was now up to him to make sure that he remained safe. He looked up at the painting of his father that he kept in the sitting room. His father had warned him that protecting the King was a challenge unlike any other. Kings were apparently fickle and hardheaded creatures. Once they got an idea into their heads, it was nearly impossible to change their minds. His father had attempted to prepare him for the nature of Kings, but his father had failed to prepare him for the whims of King Viktor Nikiforov. He was a very wise, crafty and capable King, but he was also _very_ adamant about what he wanted and didn't want. King Nikiforov was quite difficult to reason with at times.

His father had also attempted to dissuade him from following in his footsteps, wishing to spare his son from the same fate that had befallen him. But he had been resolutely determined to bring glory to the Altin lineage once more. He had hoped that his father would obtain peace once he had seen his rise to King's General. That he'd feel vindicated and finally let go of the remorse and regret. But alas, that was not to be. His father had been so utterly devastated, and felt such guilt over the Queen's death that it slowly ate away at his soul until he died from it. Much like the old King, he had wasted away until he was barely a shadow of his former self. No one had ever blamed his father for the death of the Queen. The presence of the traitor had been a surprise to everyone. His father, however, had personally taken all the blame upon himself.

His father had allowed his emotions to take over him; and had succumbed to their power. Otabek recalls feeling relief when his father had finally passed, for the man's suffering had finally ended. He had made his vow then, to become the best General in the history of Occidentis. He also swore that he would guard himself against such overwhelming feelings and focus solely on being the most effective soldier. He had closed himself off emotionally and remained impassive, regardless of the situation. His eyes drifted back to the royal parchment he still held in his hand and groaned. If only the King wasn't so determined to make his job as difficult as possible.

Otabek grabbed his cloak and locked the door behind him as he left his quarters. The guards' residence was a mere 10-minute walk away, so he made it there in a very short time. As soon as he arrived, he made a beeline for the room of his lancer; Emil Nekola. He knocked brusquely on the lancer's door and went into a military stance as he waited for the door to be answered. When the young lancer opened the door, the surprise on his face was very clear. He quickly recovered and immediately saluted his commanding officer.

"Good evening General Otabek, Sir! How may I be of service, Sir?"

"At ease, Nekola."

"Thank you, Sir."

The young lancer visibly relaxed and took on a more informal posture as he waited for the General to give his orders.

"Squire Plisetsky has gone missing during the recon mission at безымянный. The King himself has decided to lead the search party. My presence is required and therefore I would like you to accompany me. The assassin twins are already on site, so they will add to our party."

"Thank you for choosing me, Sir. I am honored."

"Your skills are extraordinary, you will be a great asset to our party. Make the appropriate preparations, we leave at the crack of dawn."

The young lancer saluted the General once more.

"Yes, Sir."

General Altin nodded at the lancer before turning on his heel and heading off to make more arrangements for their departure.

 **…**

Back at her quarters, Mila was ruffling some feathers…in a good way. Ciocco had managed to catch her breath and was much calmer than when she had flown in. Mila was currently petting the hawk, scratching at the sweet spot on the top of her head. The hawk's eyes were closed and it made a content cooing noise. Mila smiled as she looked down at the gorgeous animal. She loved her ability, for it allowed her to connect with animals on a whole other level. She felt truly very privileged to have such a gift. Once Ciocco was fed and taken care of, Mila checked on Lilia's whereabouts. The elven matron had retired to her quarters for the evening. Mila breathed a sigh of relief as a devious smile formed on her lips. She quickly rummaged through her closet for her 'commoner's garb' and excitedly changed out of her royal robes. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, making sure that her hair covered the tips of her ears. She then carefully arranged a broad-rimmed hat on her head. She admired her disguise in the mirror. The cotton pants and shirt she wore made her look like a young male peasant. With her breasts bound tight against her slim body, the transformation was complete. Mila walked over to her window and climbed out. Having a room on the fourth floor was not an obstacle to her at all. She was, and always had been, a rather proficient climber. She'd driven her parents nearly mad with her skills from a very young age, leading her own mother to wonder if she was actually more monkey than elf. Mila landed safely on the ground below her window and quickly looked around to make sure that she hadn't been spotted. Having animal lookouts just about everywhere was helpful in many ways. She ran off into the woods enthusiastically, eager to make her way to the local pub. She loved it there, as a 'male peasant' she could drink her fill in peace, her elven blood filtering out alcohol much more effectively than that of any human. At the local pub, she could enjoy a truly rare opportunity to be someone without any pressures or responsibilities. Mila giggled wickedly as the familiar building came into view. She was very much looking forward to a night of comradery and getting totally shit-faced.

 **…**

Viktor paced back and forth in the library like a caged animal. He was absolutely livid. Yuri had begged and begged him to let him go on this recon mission. He had driven him nearly mad for days with all his pleas and vows. He had sworn up and down to him that he was ready, that he could handle it, that he would follow orders and behave himself. Viktor felt utterly betrayed. He clenched his fist and brought it down onto a nearby table, rattling the empty teacup that had been placed on it earlier. His presence in the search party may seem personal and even trivial to the untrained eye, but it was critically necessary. Viktor had to stave off a political disaster more than anything. He _had_ to handle this personally.

Yuri Plisetsky was the son of a high-ranking noble from an ally nation and had been orphaned at a very young age. His parents had perished in a demon attack, a common instance since the days of his youth, as the demons had discovered that decimating the resistance from the top was the way to go. Yuri Plisetsky had been assigned to him as a charge, meaning that Viktor was responsible for him; his upbringing, his education, his training, and his welfare. Viktor had originally hoped that the two of them could grow up together as brothers, but things couldn't have been further from the truth. The young boy had been a thorn in his side since the get-go. Viktor understood the anger, he really did. He had also lost both his parents at a young age. He had seen his own mother murdered in front of his eyes for crying out loud. If anyone had the 'right' to be angry it was he. But he had also understood how to move past it. If he had let the anger consume him, there wouldn't be a kingdom left to rule. Yuri held on to his anger as if he were a drowning man hanging on to a life preserver. He was stubborn, hard-headed and a…

"сопливый ублюдок!"

Viktor pounded the table once more, rattling it enough to tip the teacup out of its saucer. He stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he took in some deep and calming breaths. If Yuri wasn't found alive and in one piece, there would be hell to pay. A potential civil war hung in the balance, and during these turbulent times, it would be a death sentence for all involved. Finding the brat was his immediate top priority. It was absolutely crucial that he'd be found alive.

"God help you, Yuri. I hope that despite your stupidity, you were at least able to come across some good luck. The kingdom depends on it."

…

Kenjirou Minami was restless. He paced the ship's deck as he tried to find some way to get rid of the excess energy he felt at the moment. He tried meditating, but couldn't calm his mind. He then tried counting the clouds, but it was really windy out and too many of them were blending together. He just ended up getting even more frustrated as he tried to separate all the clumps of clouds to count them. He thought that perhaps some food would bring him peace, but didn't feel a single pang of hunger. He was really at a loss. Suddenly, a flash of metal caught his attention and he pivoted on the balls of his feet in a second. His arm shot out and snatched the incoming object out of thin air. When he looked down at it, he was surprised to discover that it was his own spear. When he looked up at the direction it had come from, he saw the Royal Guard standing there.

"Impressive. Your reflexes really are as quick as they say. The Emperor is in good hands."

Minami awkwardly attempted to bow while he fumbled with the spear in his hand.

"Ah…ahhhh! Thank you, honorable guard. Your words are much too kind."

The guard smiled as he spoke.

"I'm Hibiki Fujimoto. Nice to meet you."

Minami bowed deeply toward the royal guard.

"Nice to meet you, Fujimoto San."

"It appears that you're struggling with a case of nerves, youngling. The unknown has you rattled."

Minami laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yes, I suppose I have. I've never been anywhere near Occidentis before. I don't know what to expect and it's making me a bit uneasy."

The Royal Guard laughed heartily.

"A _bit_ uneasy? Child, you're about to wear a hole on the ship's deck. No one below deck can catch a wink of sleep."

Minami turned beet red at the guard's revelation.

"Oh, no! I'm so terribly sorry! I had no idea! I should go apologize to everyone!"

The guard held up his hand and Minami stopped dead in his tracks.

"That's why I'm here. I was a young and nervous soldier once too, many moons ago. Whenever things started to get a bit much for me, I'd always find peace in going through my katas. If that didn't help, I'd fall back on simply burning it out of my body via a sparring session with a fellow soldier."

The Royal Guard nodded toward Minami's spear.

"We'll start with katas. Show me your form. If you impress me enough, I'll join you."

Minami's eyes lit up as he looked at the Royal Guard with newfound appreciation.

"Thank you Fujimoto San! I won't let you down!"

True to his word, Kenjirou Minami did not disappoint. Having something to now focus his energy on, he poured his everything into proper form as he went through the various kata; starting with the basic ones and working his way up to the more complex. The Royal Guard nodded his appreciation and had soon drawn his sword and joined in. Once all the kata were finished, Minami took a deep breath and smiled gratefully at the guard before bowing toward him once more.

"How do you feel? Do you require any further action to calm your nerves?"

Minami shook his head.

"My nerves are fine now, thank you. But if you're willing to spar with me, I would be most grateful Fujimoto San! It's not every day that someone like me gets the chance to spar with a royal guard!"

Fujimoto laughed exuberantly once more.

"I like that look in your eyes, kid. Let's see if I can teach you a thing or two before bed tonight."

The two men sparred energetically well into the night. Fujimoto was highly skilled and DID teach Minami quite a few things about stances, blind spots and not leaving himself open. Minami was no slouch either and even managed to get the upper hand on the royal guard on quite a few occasions.

Exhausted, panting and covered in sweat, the two men finally decided to call it quits and prepare for bed. They had both worked up quite an appetite and met for dinner after they had washed up. All the agitation had been banished from his body and Minami had no problems falling asleep after he turned in for the night.

_terminology_

безымянный (bezymyannyy) – Nameless.

сопливый ублюдок (soplivyy ublyudok) – snot-nosed bastard


	10. Off on the Wrong Foot

Dawn broke at the Katsuki camp and so did a certain young archer's fever. The young man's eyes slowly opened, gunky and sticky after being closed for such a long time. When he attempted to lift his hands to rub at them, he groaned as he struggled to raise this arms. They seemed as if they were weighed down by rocks and he cursed how weak he felt. Pushing past the weakness, he managed to finally bring one solitary hand to his face and semi-remove the crusty goop. He blinked a few times, bringing some much-needed moisture to his eyes, before taking in his surroundings. He was in a strange place, not inside a building…but perhaps some kind of tent. He closed his eyes and moaned pitifully. His head was pounding and his mouth felt drier than a desert. _What the hell happened? Where the hell am I?_ A sudden stab of pain in his leg brought everything flooding back. _Ugghhhh, right. The demons…the poison dagger. Shit, I thought I had died. How am I NOT dead right now?_ His memory was a bit hazy, but he remembered having some really weird hallucinations in what he thought were his last moments on Earth. His right eyebrow twitched as the image of a talking fox woman came back to him. _Shit, that demon poison is powerful stuff._ _I couldn't make that kind of stuff up on my own._

The young archer took a deep breath and raised a hand to lift the blanket off his body. After grappling with some awkwardness and taking a short break to build up some more strength, he was able to push it off his body. Once he was able to catch his breath, he pushed himself up on his elbows. Another short pause later and he was able to fully sit up. He looked around, noticing that he had been sleeping at ground level. _Do they not have any beds around here?_ When he examined his bedding, he noticed that he had been sleeping on some kind of mat. It didn't look very thick, but it had been surprisingly comfortable. Taking in his environs, he surmised that he was definitely in some kind of tent. _Did Sara and Michele find me and take me back to the camp? This tent's really weird though, it doesn't seem like one of our own._ When his eyes drifted down toward the ground, they landed on a tiny orange fox. It was just sitting there, staring at him silently with its emerald-green eyes. His eyes grew big and he raised his hand to point at it.

"YOU! You're real?"

The fox barked happily before sitting up on its hind legs and waving its front paws at him.

"I'm NOT insane! You actually understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

The little fox put his front legs back down and ran right up to him, launching itself into his lap.

The young archer was stunned beyond belief. He thought that he had imagined the young fox, yet here it was in front of him. He tentatively reached down and patted its little head. _Oh-my-god-it's-so-soft!_ As he was petting the little fox kit, he heard a woman's voice calling out in a foreign language. She sounded close, like she was just outside the tent. _That doesn't sound like Sara, who is it?_ The tent flap opened and a young woman stepped in. She was wearing really baggy red pants and a white shirt with ridiculously long sleeves. _What the hell? Those look impractical as fuck._ His eyes traveled further up and met with her eyes. They were this russet color and there was something really familiar about them. The woman opened her mouth and spoke to him, her words coming out in the familiar yet heavily accented Anglicus.

"Ah, you're awake! How are you feeling?"

A sudden bit of movement then caught his attention and his gaze traveled higher up still. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when they spotted the orange fox ears at the top of the woman's head. He looked down at the fox in his lap and then back at the woman currently standing in the tent. His mouth dropped open, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fainted.

Yuuko cursed inwardly as she darted toward the falling young archer. She managed to catch him before he hit the ground and lay him back down gently onto the tatami. _What in the world has gotten into him? He seemed fine just a second ago!_ Yuuko grabbed a fan from a nearby table and knelt down next to the youngling. She used it to try and cool the young man down. After a few minutes, the he opened his eyes again and sat back up. He did not speak, but just sat there…gawking silently at her. Not really sure about what to do next, Yuuko smiled warmly at him.

"Good, you're back. Ahh...let me get you some water."

Yuuko had turned her body to reach for the pitcher of water and so she did not see that the young man had raised his hands. By the time she heard the rustling noises, it was too late. A pair of hands had taken her ears into their grasp.

"Kyyyyaaaaaaa!"

The pitcher of water went flying into the air in a high arc before falling back down and shattering upon contact with the ground, water and shards of glass flying in all directions.

 ***SLAP*!**

"変態! 性獣!"

Yuuko leapt to her feet and grabbed the biggest shard of glass she could find, pointing it directly at the young archer's heart.

"I knew it! I knew you were no good! The ice dragon shows its true colors!"

Nishigori and Minako came bursting into the tent at the sound of Yuuko's scream. They barely managed to avoid the broken glass and puddles of water as they ran in. As they looked up, they saw a very strange scene. Yuuko's face was almost the same color as her pants and she looked absolutely enraged. She was holding a shard of glass in her hand and had it pointed at the young archer, who seemed to have finally woken. The young man had a red hand-print on the side of his face and currently held his hands up in surrender as his eyes darted wildly about the tent.

 ** _["…"] – Japanese speech_**

["Heavenly kami, what the hell happened here, Yuuko?"]

["This…this…immoral deviant TOUCHED MY EARS!"]

No sooner had the words left Yuuko's mouth that a suddenly very rabid-looking Nishigori launched himself at the young man. Minako just barely reacted in time, grabbing just enough of Nishigori's robes to hold him back and keep him from mauling the young archer.

["Calm down, Nishigori! You too, Yuuko! Everybody calm down!"]

Minako pushed Nishigori out of the tent and told him to wait outside while she handled things with Yuuko. Minako waved to an approaching guard and asked him to make sure Nishigori didn't enter the tent. She turned on her heel and went back inside the tent. The standoff between Yuuko and the young archer was still very much in effect and she approached her hanyou kitsune friend carefully.

["Yuuko, put the shard down. Your hand is bleeding, you need to take care of it."]

Yuuko's eyes darted downward as she stole a quick glance at her hand. She cursed under her breath as she realized that she was indeed bleeding.

["I want to cut his grubby little hands off. Momiji was definitely wrong about this one."]

At the mention of her name, the little fox walked up to Yuuko and sat herself right in front of her. A few yips and barks later, Yuuko lowered her hand and released the shard of glass.

["Momiji says he didn't do it to be malicious. She seems to think that he's never seen a hanyou kitsune before. Pfft. Can you believe that? Hanyou kitsune have been around for centuries, Momiji must have made a mistake."]

Minako reached into her obi and took out a kerchief. She picked up Yuuko's injured hand and carefully checked it for any embedded pieces of glass. Having found none, she then wrapped the hand with it and tied it off in a neat little knot.

["Yuuko dear, there are no hanyou kitsune outside Orientalis. Momiji speaks the truth. It's almost certain that you are the first one he has ever seen."]

Yuuko was incredulous. Hanyou kitsune were everywhere. It had never occurred to her that someone would have ever _not_ seen one. Her anger came back to her though when she remembered the earlier indignity she had suffered.

["Curiosity is one thing…but he assaulted me! Takeshi didn't even get to touch my ears until _after_ we were married! I feel so…violated!"]

["You're right. I'm sorry you had to go through with that. He should know enough to not touch _any_ female inappropriately, regardless of her species or race. Go take care of your hand. I know it'll probably be healed before the hour is up, but it never hurts to be extra cautious when it comes to injuries. Nishigori should be just outside. I'm sure he's anxious to see if you're alright. Go, I'll speak with the whelp."]

Yuuko nodded and turned to glare angrily at the young archer before turning on her heel and stomping out of the tent, Momiji in tow.

Minako turned to the young man and switched to Anglicus.

"Well young man, you have really made a mess of things."

The young archer lowered his hands and released the breath that he had been holding.

"What the hell was that about? One minute she was all smiles and the next she was threatening to stab me with a shard of glass!"

Minako frowned. This was not the kind of reaction she had been expecting.

"Are you not sorry _at all_?"

"Sorry for what? I've never seen ears on a person before and I wanted to check to make sure that they were real. I didn't know she was going to react like _that_!"

"So the young men in Occidentis may touch any female wherever and whenever they please?"

"Of course not, don't be stupid! They were just ears, why is she so upset?"

Minako liked the young archer less and less with each callous word that spilled from his mouth. She stepped in close and leaned in till their noses were almost touching. She placed a hand on the young man's knee and slowly began running it up his inner thigh.

"You see, Nishigori Yuuko is half-human and half-fox…a 'hanyou kitsune'. A rather populous race here in Orientalis…but not found anywhere else. So I can see why you'd never seen one before."

Minako ran her hand higher up the young man's thigh and he flinched.

"What the hell are you doing? Get your filthy hand off me!"

"Does it make you uncomfortable…being touched without your consent?"

The young archer nodded eagerly and tried to back away from Minako's touch, but was still too weak from the poison attack to effectively distance himself from her.

"You see, a hanyou kitsune's ears are considered _very_ private, much like this lump of flesh between your thighs. And as such, they should never EVER be touched without explicit consent from the one they belong to."

Minako's hand moved further up the young archer's thigh, stopping briefly to dig her nails into the tender flesh of the inner thigh. The young archer squeaked painfully and winced as he made futile efforts to escape her.

"That male who was in here earlier, another hanyou kitsune, is Nishigori Yuuko's husband. As you can imagine, he's rather _displeased_ that you violated his wife...especially after she saved your apparently worthless life yesterday."

The young archer gasped. He suddenly remembered the bitter medicine the fox-woman had given him and how she had comforted him. A huge wave of regret and remorse crashed over him. _Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"I-I-I'm sorry! I couldn't remember until now!"

Minako ran her her hand up even higher, digging her nails even harder into the young archer's flesh. He screamed.

"Stop! Please stop. I said I was sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Apologizing to ME won't do you any good. I'm not the one you violated."

Minako grabbed the young man's chin with her free hand and squeezed it hard as she looked into his eyes.

"The next time you see Nishigori Yuuko, you will kneel down before her and throw yourself down at her feet. You will beg for her forgiveness and pray to the gods of Occidentis that she forgives you. Our Emperor is VERY protective of his subjects, and if he feels that she has been 'damaged' in ANY way, he will end your miserable life. Slowly and painfully."

Minako gave the young man's chin and thigh one last simultaneous squeeze, drawing pinpricks of blood at both locations and tears from his eyes.

"If I hear that you have touched another female...any female...inappropriately again, I will come after you myself. I will cut off this thing that defines you as man, because you won't deserve to be called one. Understood?"

The young archer gulped audibly and nodded the best that could, given that his chin was still in the woman's vice-like grip.

Minako released the man's chin and thigh. She patted him gingerly on the cheek that had been slapped and he flinched.

"Rest well, young one."

Minako stood up, straightened out her kimono and walked out of the tent without so much as a backward glance. And for the second time that morning, the young archer fainted.

_terminology_

変態 (hentai) - pervert

性獣 (sei-jū) - sex beast


	11. A Bitter Lesson

When the young archer regained consciousness, he found himself in the presence of the same scary woman from before. He squeaked at the sight and tried to scoot as far away from her as possible. She was dressed differently from before, she had on armor and weapons were clearly visible.

"Ah, good. You're finally awake. Sure took you long enough."

"Why are you here? Back to torture me some more?"

Minako snorted and laughed.

"I wish!"

She cracked her knuckles as she gave the young man the most scathing look she could muster.

"Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to personally teach you some manners."

The young archer scooched further back, fully flattening himself against the tent wall.

"However, our Emperor has stated that you are under our protection until you are well enough to be returned to your kingdom."

"Oh! Well, in that case...I think am completely and fully recovered now…so I can just go and be out of your hair and on my way back to my kingdom."

Minako laughed once more as she saw the young archer make a move to throw the blankets off his body.

"You really are inexperienced and as green as they come, aren't you? How the hell did you manage to get assigned to a mission when you're so clearly clueless?"

The young archer bristled at the woman's comments.

"I'm Squire Yuri Plisetsky, a royal archer of the Ice Dragon Clan! I come from noble blood and am _not_ green!"

"Your fancy titles and lineage mean nothing to me, boy. All I know is that I don't trust you enough to even be within sight of the same battlefield as me. You're the type of person who'd get his whole team killed with his stupidity."

Squire Plisetsky's face burned red with anger.

"How _dare_ you speak to me that way? You know nothing about me!"

"I know more than enough about you, boy. I doubt you came here by yourself, given your obvious inexperience. So at some point, you ditched members of your team and then nearly got yourself killed as a result. You're a spoiled brat with noble blood you don't deserve. Just a mouthy and entitled whelp."

Squire Plisetsky was so angry that steam could practically be seen coming out of his ears.

"I'm done here. I'm going home, NOW."

Minako crossed her arms and leaned back on the chair she was sitting in.

"This should be entertaining. Go on, oh _noble_ Squire Plisetsky. Show me what you're made of."

Squire Plisetsky planted his feet firmly on the ground and pushed himself into a standing position.

"Ah-ha! You see! I'm…"

The young archer's face turned a sickly shade of green and before he knew it, he was face down on the floor in front of him.

Minako stood up and picked him up by the back of his yukata, pushing him roughly back onto the tatami. She mumbled angrily in her native tongue of Iaponica as she arranged him into a sitting position, and waited for him to come to. Finally, the young boy opened his eyes once more.

"You clearly know nothing about demonic poisons, how they work or how to treat them. They are potent, deadly and devastate the body from the inside. You were on death's door when we found you. A minute later and you'd be on a funeral pyre right about now. Yuuko's antidotes are the best in the whole land, but not even _they_ can purify the toxins from the body. That's what this is for."

Minako reached down and removed a flask from her belt. She held it out for the young archer, urging him to take it. Squire Plisetsky eyed the flask suspiciously.

"How do I know that's just not more poison? How do I know you're not just trying to finish me off?"

The warrior woman rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. _Kami give me patience._

"As I have previously stated, you're under our protection. The Emperor has sent a letter notifying your King that you are safe and being taken care of. Also, if I was going to kill you, I wouldn't do it with poison. It's much too quick." She paused to waggle her eyebrows suggestively at him. "I'd want to enjoy it, you know?"

The young archer shuddered at the thought.

"So…this is to purify the poison from my body?"

Minako nodded.

"Correct. You should notice a dramatic change in your well-being after drinking this draught. It'll be almost like you'd never been poisoned at all."

Squire Plisetsky reached for the flask and snatched it out of the woman's hand.

"Why didn't you say something sooner? What does it taste like?"

Minako smiled wickedly and waited for the perfect moment to give her answer. Just as the cap was about to be lifted off the flask, she spoke.

"Rotten meat."

The cap came off and was almost immediately screwed back on. Minako laughed heartily as all the color drained from the young man's face and he fought to keep the bile from rising up in his throat.

"Oh… **urk** …that… **burp** …was vile. NO WAY I'm drinking THAT."

Minako stood up and pulled out one of her swords.

"Ah, you see…but you WILL. This is a normal and very-much-unavoidable part of the treatment plan for those foolish enough to allow themselves to be hit with demon poison. Forgive me if my bedside manner is a bit rough. Usually Yuuko handles the recovery phase, but she's not here for…obvious reasons."

Squire Plisetsky swallowed hard as the tip of the woman's blade slowly dipped lower toward the junction between his thighs. _What is her obsession with that body part? Does she hate men or something?_

Minako reached into a small bag and pulled out a juicy-looking peach.

"If you plug your nose and drink it all in one go, it's not so terrible. I'll even give you this tasty peach here to take the sting out of the bad taste."

Squire Plisetsky's mouth watered as he ogled the peach. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten and his stomach seemed suddenly very empty.

He took a deep breath and pinched his nose with his left hand and opened the flask with his right. He brought it up to his lips and tried to get it down his throat as quickly as possible. The stuff was vehemently revolting. His eyes watered as he fought to keep it going down and not back up. When he had finally drained the bottle, he held his hand out impatiently for the peach.

"What's that you want, boy? I don't respond to callous gestures. Speak up."

Squire Plisetsky glared at the woman with all the hatred he could muster. When he opened his mouth to speak, the full horror of what he'd just consumed flooded his tastebuds. He squeezed his eyes shut and pounded his fist angrily on the ground. For the first time in his life, he wished for death.

"Hmm, I guess you don't want the peach after all. Might as well eat it myself, I wouldn't want to be wasteful..."

Minako went to take a bite of the peach but stopped when she felt hand wrap around her ankle.

"Yes? What is it, boy?"

"M-m-may.. **burp**...I p-please... **burp**...have the... **wretch**...p-peach?"

"Certainly! After all, you've asked so nicely!"

Minako tossed the peach to the young archer and he caught it in mid-air. He bit into it with great gusto, causing its juices to dribble down his chin. He chewed the first bite really thoroughly, making sure to wash out every trace of the horrible potion. He took much smaller bites after that, wanting to take his time to savor the fruit's natural sweetness now that the bad taste was gone from his mouth. When all that was left of the peach was the pit, he sighed with great contentment.

"Thank you. I think that was the most amazing peach I've had my entire life."

Minako smiled triumphantly.

"You see, it's not so hard using manners, now is it?"

Minako brought her hand up to her chin and rubbed it pensively.

"It's _so_ strange though. Usually, Yuuko's poison purification potions taste absolutely wonderful and sweet. She _always_ takes the extra step to make them more palatable for her patients. I wonder why _this_ batch came out this way..."

Minako looked down at the young archer and saw the realization slowly dawn on his eyes. His head flew up and he shot her a hard look. Surprisingly though, he was able to bite his tongue and did not say anything.

Minako laughed heartily as she stood up.

"Good, good...you're learning! Lesson number one, boy. Never, EVER piss off people with the power to make you suffer."

The young archer remained silent. Minako walked to the tent entrance and opened the flap just a little bit. She called out something in that strange language of hers and a young servant appeared with a tray of what looked like food. Minako took the tray over to the young archer and placed it in front of him and waited to see what he would do.

"Thank you for the food."

A bright smile lit up her features and her gray eyes twinkled with delight.

"You're quite welcome."

A servant came into the tent just then, bearing another identical tray. She placed it in front of the warrior woman before bowing deeply and walking backward out of the tent.

Minako removed the lids from all the bowls, releasing their delicious aromas into the tent. Squire Plisetsky was practically drooling all over himself at the sight. His stomach growled loudly in anticipation.

"Now, pay attention boy. I'm not trying to torture you...this time...but I need to show you the order and way these dishes are consumed. I imagine that you've never seen or had a meal like this before, correct?"

The young archer shook his head.

"When you are recovered, you will be expected to share a meal with the Emperor. He has requested your presence for a late lunch this afternoon."

The young archer's eyes grew impossibly wide as he processed the information he'd just been given. He'd never shared a meal with any kind of royalty outside Occidentis before. Sure, he'd had etiquette lessons and what-not...but he'd never really paid attention to the classes, thinking that they were just a huge waste of time. Gods, how he wished he had paid attention then!

"Worry not, I shall teach you the basics. That's all you'll need. The Emperor does not expect you to learn how to use chopsticks in less than a day. So you will be given Occidentis utensils at the time of your meal."

"Sorry, what are these 'chopticks' you speak of?

Minako picked up two wooden sticks from her food tray. She held them between her thumb and index finger. She reached for a piece of ginger and picked it up easily before bringing it gracefully to her mouth.

Squire Plisetsky's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"You eat with two little sticks? That's it?"

"Yup! But we learn how to use them from very early childhood, so it's second nature to us. You have forks and spoons on your tray."

Yuri looked down and was very thankful that he did indeed have utensils from Occidentis.

And so Minako began showing the young man which dishes were consumed first and how it was acceptable to bring a soup bowl to one's lips for drinking. She told him about the different garnishes and sauces and how they paired up with each kind of food. The young archer was fascinated. He had never known that there was so much more to food than just eating whatever was on a plate. The food at the castle was always amazing, but the food from Orientalis was on a whole other level. It was surprising because it looked so simple compared to the fancy dishes he was used to.

"All the foods here are designed to bring out the most flavor of the meal. The order in which they are eaten also works toward this purpose. It's ultimate balance and harmony."

Squire Plisetsky mirrored the woman's actions as they systematically went through their meal. He paid attention to every detail and soaked in as much information as possible. Once they were both finished, the servant came back and took their trays away. Minako turned to the young archer.

"How was it?"

"It was amazing! I've never tasted food like that before!"

"Good. Now rest up while the demonic poison is flushed out of your system. The chamber pot is in that corner there. You'll be using it a lot. A servant will periodically come in to replace it with a clean one. You'll be good as new in a few hours."

Minako vacated the tent, leaving the young man to his own devices.


	12. A Near Miss

Back across the strait in Occidentis, around the same time Squire Plisetsky's fever was about to break, Замок Дракона was already alive with a flurry of activity. Servants had been up all night gathering supplies for the voyage and preparing breakfast for the King as well all the other members of the expedition. Having already eaten their early morning meal, General Altin and Lancer Nekola waited at the main gate for King Nikiforov to appear. The King was thankfully always punctual, so they didn't have to wait for very long. The two members of the military went down on one knee as the King appeared. The King paused and waved to them.

"At ease, fair gentlemen. This is not a formal royal expedition, so there's no need for the standard levels of formality."

General Altin was the first to rise.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Lancer Nekola stood up next and gave an extra bow before thanking the King. The trio walked in silence to their awaiting ship; the Серебряная королева. Two horses, food and supplies were already stashed on board. The ship also contained the castle healer and six Lignum Magi to power the boat. Just as the ship pushed off from the harbor, Ciocco flew down from Princess Mila's room and landed on one of the masts. The King smiled happily at the sight.

"Ah, Ciocco! Good to see you rested and well. Worry not, we'll have you back with Sara in no time."

The hawk screamed its greetings back at the King before settling down on its perch. Soon, the sails were set and the boat began to pick up speed. As long as the wind held up, the Lignum Magi would not be required to contribute to its locomotion. If the wind died and the ship came to a standstill, then they would step in and use their magic to power it. The King and his guards stood on the deck and watched silently as the sun broke the horizon.

…

About five kilometers from the Серебряная королева's starboard side, Emperor Katsuki's ship sailed in the opposite direction, toward the castle. The two ships actually passed each other, beyond the sight of human eyes, but not of their avian occupants. Azami screeched enthusiastically down at Minami's quarters, but by the time he'd gotten out of bed, gotten semi-dressed and out on the deck, the distance between the two ships was too great. Minami looked and looked, but was unable to see anything through the telescope.

"Ah, sorry Azami…it appears that I missed whatever it was you wanted me to see."

Pointing the telescope toward the bow of the boat proved much more fruitful. Minami sighted land and spotted the castle off to their port side. The young servant marveled in awe at the vision of the imposing building. He had never seen a building like _that_ before. He had heard that the castles of Occidentis were something to behold, but had not expected them to look so different compared to the castles of Orientalis. Okukawa San had often told him stories of her missions in Occidentis, and regaled him with vivid descriptions of what she had seen. He had always listened raptly to her tales, attempting to imagine the things she spoke of. His imagination had failed him completely, for nothing he had ever pictured in his mind came even close to the stunning reality. Fujimoto San walked up next to him and stared intently at the approaching shore.

"It's so strange and foreign, yet very beautiful, isn't it?"

Minami lowered the telescope and looked over at the Royal Guard with surprise.

"Is this also your first time in Occidentis, Fujimoto San?"

"It is. I've heard the stories all my life, but never imagined that it would be like _this_."

Minami nodded eagerly.

"I understand completely!"

As the ship drew nearer to the harbor, Minami whistled for Azami. The Imperial eagle flew down toward him and landed gracefully on the nearest ledge. It waited patiently while the young servant attached the Emperor's Message to his leg.

"Ah, sorry Azami...I don't know exactly where you need to go, but the message is for the King of that castle over there. The Imperial eagle turned its head and looked in the direction Minami was pointing. It opened its great wings and took flight. Minami shielded his eyes with his hands and he watched the great creature fly away.

"Be safe, Azami!"

Two hours after King Nikiforov had departed for Mumei No Shima, Emperor Katsuki's delegation made landfall in Occidentis.

...

About the same time that Azami had tried getting Minami's attention. Ciocco became suddenly very excited. She flew down in front of the King and screeched and screamed loudly at him as she circled above the ship. Sensing that something was amiss, the King asked for the telescope. He looked around in all directions before finally spotting a ship heading toward Occidentis. As he lowered the telescope, he called for General Altin.

"Do you we have any merchant ships scheduled to arrive today?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Two merchant ships are due to come in today."

The King breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"I see. Thank you, that'll be all."

General Altin bowed and turned on his heel, heading back to his previous sentry position on deck.

King Nikiforov relaxed and resigned himself to enjoying the boat ride.

...

As the King's party had left that castle that dawn, a very happily tired and slightly intoxicated elven princess had attempted to sneak back in. It had been quite a bit of a challenge making it back to her room undetected. The castle had been absolutely crawling with people at that ungodly hour, and she had momentarily forgotten why. She had cursed her mental lapse, for she would have left the pub quite a bit earlier had she remembered that there'd be so much activity so damn early. It had taken her every ounce of stealth and subterfuge to get back in without being spotted. Once back in her room, she had heaved a sigh of relief as she had stripped out of her disguise. She immediately drew a bath and sank gratefully into its hot waters. She reeked of alcohol and had to get rid of the smell before it gave her away. As a Princess, no one questioned the odd bathing habits she kept. So she never had to worry about raising suspicions. Once she was fully cleaned, she washed the clothes she had worn out the night before and hung them out to dry on her private terrace. With all the pressing matters taken care of, she flopped gratefully onto her bed and was soon fast asleep.

...

The Princess had only been sleeping for a couple of hours before Minami and Fujimoto San made it onto Occidentis soil. They stretched their legs and looked around in admiration as they waited for Azami to deliver the Emperor's message.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Minami and Fujimoto were immediately on guard and had their weapons at the ready. Fujimoto stepped forward and called out.

"We are emissaries from Orientalis. We come with an important message from Emperor Katsuki."

Two guards stepped out of the woods and immediately stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the two strange men. They took in the ship and their foreign armor and garb.

"We come in peace, we are not enemies. We do wish to bring any harm upon anyone. We simply wish to deliver an urgent message."

One guard turned to his partner and mumbled under his breath at him.

"What _is it_ with all these urgent messages in the last twenty-four hours?! First the Princess and now these guys. What do you think?"

The other guard was at a loss.

"I don't know. I've heard of Orientalis...but I've no clue what they actually look like. These guys could be the real thing or they could be impostors. I was not notified of any incoming emissaries from a foreign kingdom. You?"

The first guard shook his head.

"No, I was not. Shall we take them in just to be on the safe side?"

"Yeah, we can deal with them once they've been secured."

The first guard turned to the foreign-looking men.

"Lower your weapons, you're coming with us."

Fujimoto stepped in front of Minami and placed his sword on the ground.

"You may take me, if you so wish."

The second guard took a firm stance and drew his sword.

"No, not just you. ALL of you."

Fujimoto quickly tossed up his sword with the top of his foot and gracefully took it back into his hand. He took a defensive stance as his face became a mask of steely determination.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid that won't be possible."

He turned to look back at Minami and gave him a slight nod. Minami understood full well what that meant. He readied his spear as the tense stand-off between the four men began.

...

 _ **Message. Who takes messages? I have a message!**_

Mila sat up with a start a she heard the voice practically screaming inside her head.

 _ **The humans will fight. Message will stop the fight!**_

The Princess was quickly on her feet and stumbled, half-awake to the window. _I take messages. Come to me, friend._ A dark speck in the sky suddenly changed direction and headed right for her window. Mila reached for her glove, but as she returned to the window, she saw that it was not going to be able to accommodate her incoming guest. _Holy virgin maidens of Kyaltaesi, it's huge! What the hell is it?_ She threw the glove to the ground and threw open the terrace doors. _Here! Over here!_ The bird altered it's flight path once more and managed to land safely, albeit a bit awkwardly, on a wooden table. _You made it! Wow, you're stunning! Oh my goodness...you're absolutely magnificent!_

 _ **Thank you, non-human female. Your praise honors me. Please, take the message from my leg.**_

Mila nodded and reached for the message. He jaw nearly hit the ground and her eyes just about fell out of her skull. _Seriously?!_ She had received two messages from no less than two different avian messengers about Squire Plisetsky in less than a day. Mila groaned as the news sunk in. That little bastard. _He managed to get himself poisoned. Poisoned?! He's lucky to be alive!_

 _ **Hurry, please. The humans will fight!**_

Mila used her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight. As she looked down toward the harbor, she could just make out a ship and a small crowd of people on the shore. _How many?_

 ** _Two from my land, two from yours._**

Mila ran back into her room and hastily threw on a hooded cloak. She went to the window and began crawling out.

 _ **People of your land do not use doors?**_

The Eleven red-head would have laughed just then had she not been fully preoccupied with thoughts of _not_ falling to her death. _Ah, yes...but time is of the essence and this is the fastest route._

Mila hit the ground running. She ran, as fast as her bare feet would carry her, toward the harbor. _Please, let me make it before any blood is shed!_

_terminology_

Замок Дракона (zamok drakona) - Castle Dragon

Серебряная королева (serebryanaya koroleva) - Silver Queen


	13. Twin Trouble

p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Back on the nameless neutral territory, the twin assassins were up and going at the first sign of light in the morning sky. They had simple tents for sleeping and cooked and ate their meals in the central space of an area they had cleared. They had had to change campsites after the demon attack, since their location had been compromised. As she took down her tent and packed things up, Sara seethed and raged silently. With one selfish action, Squire Plisetsky had single-handedly created a huge mess for everyone. She couldn't really say that she was surprised. She knew the nature of the beast quite well. Sara had spent quite a few years growing up alongside the young Squire in the castle. He had arrived during the fifteenth year of her life and seventh year of her assassin training. He was a very angry and spoiled little 8-year-old boy when he came to live at the castle. Everyone had heard about what had happened to his parents and gave him a wide berth at first. Such losses were common during their turbulent times and sympathy for the young Squire was abundant. His whole life had been turned upside down in a very short time. His parents had been murdered in front of him and then he had been carted off to live with the King in a castle-full of strangers./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"It soon became apparent to everyone that the castle's newest resident was more feral rabid porcupine than human. He was prickly and stand-offish. His short temper was set off just about…everything. He was highly opinionated and rude…so very rude! He was purposely contrary and went out of his way to do the exact opposite of what he was expected or asked to do. When he had been informed that he would begin training with a sword, he had outright refused. The Plisetsky family had a long and fabled lineage of knights, guards, and warriors. The young Squire was expected to follow along the same lines. But nothing they said, did or tried could convince the obstinate boy. They tried offering other bladed weapons to him; spears, dual blades and even axes. All were turned down. Then they had tried clubs, weighted staffs and hammers with not much more success. He had shocked everyone when he asked for a bow and arrow one day. They had downright scoffed at him. Archers were considered cowardly, accused of staying back from the front lines because they were too scared to fight. No Plisetsky had emever/em been an archer, and none ever would be if they could help it./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But then a new development had changed everything. Squire Plisetsky started demonstrating an aptitude for Lignum magic. Things suddenly made a lot of sense. Why he had had such an aversion to metallic weapons and why he felt more drawn to the wooden bow and its arrows. King Viktor had had a big laugh when the news was broken to him./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""strongemHe is contrary down to his soul, that one. It figures, that in a long line of Metallum Magi fighters that he would be the odd one out as a Lignum Magi archer!"/em/strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"So they'd had no choice but to give in and train the young Squire in archery as well as hand-to-hand combat. He became surprisingly good at it and his skills as a Lignum Magi garnered him much praise. Sara snorted as she recalled what had happened after emthat/em. Unfortunately, all that praise ended up turning Squire Plisetsky into a cocky, overconfident little snot. He became absolutely possessed with the desire to exact revenge on the demons that had killed his parents. He bragged and boasted that he could take on any demon and became practically insufferable. When news had got out of the recon mission to the nameless neutral territory, he had driven the King nearly insane with grandiose overtures of readiness and had implored to be given a chance. And so, he had managed to worm his way into the mission, not so much because he actually belonged on it, but because no one at the castle could simply stomach him anymore./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The King had been very apologetic when he had approached her about the decision. He reminded her that as mission leader, her authority was absolute. All decisions were final and the young Squire would be required to abide by them. She was to inform him, immediately upon their return, if the Squire had acted out of line in any way, shape or form. He would be admonished appropriately and barred from any future missions until his eighteenth year. Sara kicked angrily at a small stone. emWell, that worked out great, didn't it? We're stuck here now until further notice because he disobeyed a direct order and ran off on his own./em emI'm going to make sure that that brat never goes on another mission for as long as he lives!/em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Stop dwelling on it, Sara."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A pair of dark purple eyes looked up in the direction of the voice. She spotted her twin brother Michele looking over his shoulder at her as he packed up his own tent. Even though he had been born first, Sara was the one who ended up rising through the ranks ahead of him to become the lead Royal Assassin at the castle. His birthright as 'older brother' didn't stop him from trying to boss her around every once in a while, though. /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I can't stop dwelling on it, Michele. Not until he's found. Until then, that's the only thing I'm going to think about."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She paused to pack her tent into a box with other supplies and then to conceal the box in some nearby bushes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I'm sure you're aware of the Sword of Damocles we now have hanging over our heads? And how important it is to find Squire Plisetsky alive?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The young man nodded solemnly as the color drained from his face./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""His death could spark a war, Michele. If we somehow don't all end up killing each other off, the demons will come and finish us off once we're weakened."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Michele packed up his own tent and then also hid it in some bushes. He walked over to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I know. I realize that you're under a lot of pressure now. I just can't stand to see my little sister looking so troubled."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The young woman sighed./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Capisco, Michele. Grazie."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"It was decided that they would try and look around for some clues while they waited for word from the King. Sara realized that Ciocco would need to rest before being able to be fly again, so they had a few hours to kill before they got any news./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's get a move on. We should at least try doing something productive with our time. Let's start mapping out the region. Maybe we'll come across some clues."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The twin assassins left the camp and began their survey of the area./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" align="center"…/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"After a few hours, their map of the region had grown substantially, but there was still no sign of Squire Plisetsky./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's split up. We'll cover much more ground this way."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Michele was immediately uneasy./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Are you sure that that's wise? We don't know anything about this island, really. We know there are demons out there, but not much else."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I know, Michele. But what if he's injured out there somewhere in need of assistance? If we don't at least make an effort to locate him…we could be unwittingly signing his death certificate."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Michele groaned as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I hate it when you're right."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"They agreed to split up and meet up again back at their camp before sunset. Michele went to the east and Sara went to the west. Not far from where they had suffered the demon attack, Sara hit paydirt. emDammit, if only we'd searched in this direction yesterday and not the other. We would have found these tracks much earlier./em Sara followed the trail of broken twigs, disturbed foliage and footprints and came upon the corpses of four dead demons in a small clearing. emWell, at least he managed to kill some./em Her heart dropped down into her stomach though when she examined the footprints and disturbed grass. emHe was ambushed…three…no, four other demons came. He fled. Thank heavens he didn't stick around to try and fight those too. I imagine he probably ran out of arrows killing off the first four./em Sara continued following the young Squire's trail. Soon, a metallic scent hit her nose. She knelt down and examined some leaves closely. She cursed as her worst fears were realized…it was dried blood. emMerda! He HAS been injured. /emNot far from the dried blood, she found a demonic dagger. One quick sniff of it was enough to determine that it was laced with Maledire la mia sfortuna! /emSara picked up her pace as she tracked Squire Plisetksy's movements through the forest. She grew disheartened as she saw that the Squire's tracks grew closer together, indicating that he had slowed down. She could tell that he had started dragging a leg behind him as the poison had taken hold. She turned the corner and came up to a tree with chipped bark and flattened grass in front of it. emHe fell over here/em. Sara looked around but could find no other trace of the I don't see any more tracks. Where the hell did he go?/em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She got low down on the ground and looked around carefully. That's when she noticed the animal footprints. emA small mammal, perhaps a young fox? /emSara gasped when she then saw not one, but three sets of footprints converging at the tree. emHe was found by some people. At least it wasn't more demons! /emSara stood up and took off running in the direction the footprints led her. emIf someone found him, then there's a chance that he's still alive! /emShe pushed off harder and picked up speed. emWhoever found him left in a hurry. Their prints are very far apart. They probably realized he was in trouble and needed immediate help. /emSara ran for about fifteen minutes before she noticed what appeared to be a large and elaborate encampment just ahead. emWho are these people? My briefing did not include information about other humans on the island. Are they friendly? Are they in collusion with the demons? Do they have Squire Plisetsky? Is he in there right now? God, I hope he's alive in there! /emSara engaged her stealth stalking mode and tried finding a position from which to survey the camp. She considered going up into the trees, but their leaves were too sparse to fully conceal someone. emDammit, I just want to make sure he's alive!/em She was concentrating on her task when a sudden shiver ran down her spine and she felt the hairs on her arm stand on end. She moved to dodge to the left, but it was too late. She felt a prick of pain at the back of her neck and quickly reached for and pulled out the dart she'd been hit with. emShit, I let my guard down!/em She tried to run away and put some distance between herself and her attacker but found that her legs had grown impossibly heavy. Her vision blurred and she felt herself stumbling around blindly like some kind of drunk. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, curling up on her left side. Her last thoughts before her eyes closed were emwhat the hell have I gotten myself into?/em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"_terminology_/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Capisco (Italian) – I understand/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Grazie (Italian) – thank you/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Merda (Italian) – shit/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Maledire la mia sfortuna (Italian) – curse my bad luck/p 


	14. Looks Can be Deceiving

Squire Yuri Plisetsky's miraculous recovery started about two hours after he'd drunk down that foul concoction. His face turned positively green at the memory of it, for it had haunted him repeatedly in the form of persistent burps until it had finally kicked in. But when it had, it astonished him to the core. He had never known there to be such powerful medicines out in the world, he had never imagined that such rapid recoveries were possible. He had literally been on death's door the day before and now he felt like his old self. There was a minor throbbing in his leg still, from where the demonic dagger had broken his flesh, but even that wound was already also healing rapidly. He could not recall there being any record of such a recovery at the castle nor in all of Occidentis. He was torn between wanting to know what they had used in the potion, and feeling that he was probably better off not knowing. The warrior woman had not been exaggerating when she'd told him that he'd be using the chamber pot a lot. Apparently, one of the side-effects of purifying demonic poisons from the body was passing water…frequently. He had felt quite a bit awkward the first time the servant had come in to retrieve the full chamber pot. That first batch had been quite…concentrated and although the servant hadn't outwardly shown any reactions to it, he had felt really embarrassed that someone else was having to deal with it at all.

In the meantime, he busied his mind with thoughts of the upcoming lunch with the Emperor. He hoped that the food he had earlier was an indication of more good things to come. The meal that had followed the medicinal nightmare had more than made up for his suffering. The flavors had absolutely delighted him and he found himself very much looking forward to the late midday meal with the Emperor, despite his lingering nervousness about it. _Who is this Emperor anyway? I don't even know the man's name. Everyone just keeps calling him 'Emperor'._ He still had no idea who these people were nor what they were doing on this supposedly uninhabited island. He made a decision, he would get his answers this afternoon, come hell or high water.

Once his strength had returned, he stood up and tentatively walked around the inside of the tent. His leg muscles had started cramping up and he was feeling restless all alone in there. He flexed and stretched his limbs, feeling them warm up with each repetition. He felt the muscles moving beneath his skin and his ligaments elongating with each movement. He felt quite attuned to his own body and truly happy to be alive. After looking around the tent a bit, he found his clothes neatly folded in a pile on a chair. As he went about removing the garment he was currently dressed in, he marveled at how comfortable it was. It was soft and light and reminded him a bit of a bathhouse robe he'd worn once before. He blushed fiercely when he realized that he was not wearing any undergarments. He'd only been in contact with females since he had regained consciousness. It stood to reason that it was rather likely that one of them had been the one to undress him when he had first been brought here. He shuddered at the possibility of it having been the warrior woman. He quickly picked up his clothes and put them back on, with the familiar hum of the protective Ice Dragon Magic being instantly very soothing and reassuring. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was back in something that was more recognizable to him. As grateful as he was to not be dead, he was still in a totally foreign environment. His garments brought him some him a little piece of home and were able to settle him down a bit.

A commotion suddenly seemed to break out somewhere in the camp. But when he ran up to the flap of his tent to look out, his path was blocked by two very serious-looking guards. Incredibly curious, but not wanting to risk pissing off any more people, he turned wordlessly on his heel and returned quietly to his little corner of the tent. He went back to doing his stretches and exercises to pass the time. As his eyes wandered around the room, he noticed that he couldn't find his bow anywhere, and it kind of worried him. He was sure that it had to be in the camp somewhere. He'd have to ask the Emperor about it during their meal later.

Time passed slowly and seemed to drag on, but finally a male servant came to get him. He was instructed to put on his boots, but leave his hat behind. He felt a bit naked without his hat, but understood that it was likely part of some kind of protocol. When he stepped outside of the tent, the first thing that hit him was the bright sunlight. He shielded his eyes from it as he allowed himself to adjust to the brightness. The second thing he noticed was the size of the camp he was in. It was quite large, well-staffed and guarded. They looked like they'd either been here a long time already or were planning on staying for a while.

The servant led him to the biggest tent at the camp. When they reached the entrance, he was instructed to take off his shoes. _Wow, these guys don't like shoes in their tents at all. The inside of this tent must have the same kind of flooring as the one in mine._ The young Squire did as he was told and placed his boots in the space indicated to him by the servant. He was then led to an area inside the tent with just a very low table and a bunch of cushions. He did not see anyone else in the room. When he turned around to ask the servant where this mystery Emperor was, he was already gone. _Dammit, everyone is so damn fast around here._ The Squire looked around the room, which was strangely lit only in the middle where all the seating was. Everything else around it was pitch black. He didn't like it. All those dark hidden corners made him very uneasy and he was instantly on edge. As he tried to wait patiently and quietly for the Emperor to arrive, he suddenly felt this weird burning sensation deep inside his very soul. He looked around, startled by its rapid onset. _This feels so...strange. It feels like someone is rummaging around inside me, searching for something._ As the young Squire looked around the room, he could have sworn that he saw a pair of golden eyes watching him from the nearest corner. He blinked and took a step closer in their direction to get a closer look, but they were already gone. He shuddered at how predatory they had looked. They had reminded him of some bird of prey. He called out tentatively into the darkness.

"Who's there? Come out into the light."

He heard some rustling sounds from the opposite corner and turned his body to face that direction. The Squire saw the bottom of the black robes first. They were embroidered beautifully with some kind of majestic bird of fire and feathers. He had only ever seen such garments on the highest royal delegates in Occidentis. As the figure fully stepped out into the light, he saw that the robe was like a longer version of the one he'd been wearing earlier, but with longer floor-length sleeves. The young Squire was baffled. He had seen a similar sleeve length on the Kitsune Hanyou woman. _Those just look SO impractical. How does anyone get anything done with such long sleeves dragging behind them?_ Then he saw a red belt of some sort, with two fans tucked into it; one open and one closed. As his eyes traveled higher, past a high-collared white shirt, he saw a soft face with pale skin and eyes in a shade of cherry-brown that he had not encountered elsewhere before. Some movement caught his eye. That's when he saw the long ebony locks pulled back in a simple ponytail, and the decorative hair pin with a fiery-red feather dangling from it. His jaw dropped and he simply could not contain his excitement.

"The Emperor is a WOMAN?"

Emperor Katsuki stopped dead in his tracks and stared incredulously at the young man in front of him. An eyebrow twitched erratically of its own accord and it took every ounce of his self-control to prevent his own jaw from dropping to the ground. He wasn't sure whether he should be insulted or burst into laughter. _Great merciful kami, Minako was right! He has no thought filtration process whatsoever!_

The Emperor cleared his throat pointedly before speaking.

"I assure you young man, I am most definitely a male."

The young Squire was surprised. He had not expected such a deep voice to come from the figure currently in front of him. He was suddenly very suspicious, thinking that perhaps they were playing a trick on him and having a good laugh at his expense.

"How do I know you're really the Emperor? Sure, you have fancy clothes, but you're not even armed! King Nikiforov carries a sword at all times, all you've got are FANS."

The Emperor stared down at his 'fancy clothes' before reaching for the open fan and taking it gracefully into his hand.

"Oh? You think perhaps that I am some sort of impostor Emperor?"

Feeling that perhaps he'd hit the nail on the head, the young Squire puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips.

"See, I knew it! No _real_ Emperor would ever show up for a meeting with a foreign delegate without a weapon or personal guards. You obviously underestimated me and thought I wouldn't notice!"

Emperor Katsuki smiled cryptically as he stepped closer to the young man.

"So, you believe I am simple an unskilled and defenseless stand-in?"

The young Squire nodded eagerly.

"I could easily land a number of blows on you at any time. You're in a long robe, with super long and cumbersome sleeves, so your mobility is severely limited...You wouldn't be able to do much dodging at all."

"Shall we test your skills then, young man?"

The young Squire smiled triumphantly as he he cracked his knuckles.

"Ok, I'll try to go easy on you...but I can't make any promises."

Emperor Katsuki bowed his head slightly before winking at the young Squire.

"I thank you for your...consideration."

The young Squire charged at the robed figure before him, slightly feinting to the left before throwing a punch with his right. _This is too easy, he's wide open!_ He swung his arm, expecting to feel the resistance associated with connecting with flesh, but feeling his arm instead passing through empty space. Confused, he looked around and spotted the robed figure standing just off to his left side, face hidden behind the open fan. _What the hell? How did he end up on my left side? He was on my right side a second ago._

"Is something the matter, young man?"

Squire Plisetsky shook his head to clear his mind. His eyes narrowed as he looked the robed figure over before retaking his offensive stance and attacking once more. Two passes, three passes, four passes...each time, the figure evaded him. He became increasingly irritated with each miss. _Who the hell is this guy? He seems to move faster than I can see!_ As his frustration reached boiling point, he decided that fun time was over and it was time for him to get serious. He redoubled his efforts, attacking with all his might. His attacks began being blocked, but by what he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it hurt. The blocks seemed to hit the same tender spots on his wrists and elbows each time. When he stopped to rub at his hands, he suddenly found himself cornered and pushed up violently against a wall. The robed man stood in front of him, his face an unreadable mask.

"It appears that you are all talk and no action, young man. You dared to call me an impostor and then accused me of being so defenseless that you could easily land a blow on me."

Squire Plisetsky felt something sharp pushing up against his neck and looked down. The decorative ornament that had previously been in the man's hair was currently threatening to pierce his skin. With his free hand, the robed figured lifted the open fan to the Squire's level of sight. He made a small movement, a barely visible flick of the wrist, and small blades sprung forth from the tips of the fan's ribs. He slowly brought the bladed fan dangerously close to the young man's eyes. The young Squire's eyes grew impossibly wide and he gulped audibly.

"Looks can be deceiving, and it's generally best to not make judgments based only on what your eyes perceive directly in front of them."

The robed figure made a high pitched whistle and two guards stepped out of the shadows.

"I was never alone, you just failed to sense their presence."

The young Squire began to tremble.

Anger suddenly flashed across the robed figure's face.

"I am Emperor Katsuki, supreme ruler of Orientalis and Phoenix Purification Magic user.

The young Squire noticed the two guards going down on both knees and bowing so low that their foreheads touched the ground.

"Your attacks on me are grounds for treason. Prepare to suffer the consequences."


	15. The Mad Dash

Mila was still running when she saw that things were about to get out of hand. One of the guards had drawn his weapon and had begun to step forward. She called out to the eagle she knew was following her from high above. _Friend! Is there something you can do to stall them? I might not make it in time!_

 ** _I will take care of it._**

The large bird of prey tucked in its wings and plummeted at high speed toward the two guards. At the last possible second, it opened its large wings directly in front of them, bringing itself to a hover while simultaneously creating powerful swirls of air. The terrified guards shielded their faces as they stepped away from the imposing bird's dagger-like talons. Satisfied that he'd been effective, the eagle took off and kept an eye on them from above. Mila thanked her lucky stars for the bird's actions. They managed to buy her just enough time.

"STOP… HALT! PUT DOWN…YOUR WEAPONS AT…ONCE!"

A rather breathless, red-haired princess had finally managed to come up on the scene, and placed herself squarely between the two parties before hunching over and bracing her hands on her lap as she fought to catch her breath. Both set of men looked on curiously at her, alarmed at her appearance for different reasons. The castle guards were taken aback by her barefoot and disheveled state, and the delegates from Orientalis were astonished by her unique features.

"Greetings, Princess. With all due respect, we must take these impostors into custody. They could be a threat to the kingdom."

Mila straightened back up, feeling that she had recovered sufficiently enough to speak once more.

"What proof do you have they they're impostors?"

The two guards looked at each other for a split second before turning to face the Princess once more. The guard to her immediate left spoke first.

"Well, uh…they say they're from Orientalis…but they don't look like people from Orientalis."

Mila placed her hands on her hips. "And how do you know _that_? Have you ever even _seen_ someone from Orientalis before?"

"Um…no…but we figured that we should take them into custody as a safety precaution."

Mila rubbed the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes and groaned. _This is ridiculous. I'm going to have to have a very serious talk with Viktor about the guards he's keeping around the castle these days. These guys are a joke._

"Well, I am here to assure you…they are the real thing. They are not impostors and they came for an urgent message for King Nikiforov."

Mila removed the slip of paper from her cloak pocket and pointed to the eagle soaring directly above them. "Their messenger bird brought this message to my room this morning and warned me of your impending fight. I came down here as quickly as I could, before anything _unseemly_ happened that perhaps caused any _discord_ between the _two most powerful nations in the world_." She hoped the words she'd emphasized would get the message through to the foolish guards.

After seeing the actual message in her hand and the large bird in the sky, they finally seemed to grasp the scope of the situation. They looked at each other with great uncertainty for a bit before one of the guards finally spoke.

"So…what shall we do _now_? The King left on an expedition this morning. He won't be able to receive that message until he returns."

Mila turned her body to fully face the guards.

"I, Princess Mila Babicheva of Kyaltaesi, officially take command of the situation involving the emissaries from Orientalis and getting their urgent message delivered to the King."

At the mention of her title, the two men from Orientalis went down on one knee and bowed low at the woman before them. The older-looking man was the first to address the monarch.

"We thank you for your assistance Princess Sama. I am Hibiki Fujimoto, Royal Guard to Emperor Katsuki of Orientalis. My colleague here is Kenjiro Minami, personal servant and guard to the Emperor. We are pleased to make your acquaintance, madam."

Mila blushed lightly and got a bit flustered at the high level of formality. _Geez, I don't even merit being called a princess right now. I'm barefoot, dirty, sweaty, and still in my night gown. This really isn't how I imagined making a first impression on foreign delegates would go!_

"Aaa-aah, please rise gentlemen. I am also pleased to make your acquaintance. Please forgive my unkempt appearance. I was woken quite abruptly this morning by your messenger bird and didn't have much time to make myself presentable. My sincerest apologies."

The two foreign men looked absolutely shocked as the Princess attempted to apologize to them.

The one named Fujimoto spoke once more.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, fair lady. We are very grateful that you placed such great importance on our situation."

The two castle guards watched the exchange with great curiosity. One guard turned to whisper to the other.

"Their names are weird and they talk all funny."

"What did you expect? They're from a foreign land. I doubt Anglicus is their mother tongue. We all probably sound pretty funny to _them_."

Mila turned to the guards once more.

"Are there any objections to my declaration? Time is of the essence here!"

The two guards looked at each other once more and shook their heads before bowing to her.

"No, Princess."

"Good. You will seek out my servant Lilia and inform her that I have had to go on an emergency expedition. She is to be in charge of receiving any messages in my stead. You are dismissed."

The guards saluted the Princess before turning on their heels and heading back to the castle.

Mila turned back to the two men from Orientalis.

"Mr. Fujimoto is it? How do you prefer to be addressed?"

The royal guard stood up and so did the younger man behind him.

"Just Fujimoto is fine, Princess Sama. This one here goes by Minami."

"I see. Fujimoto, I know you've just arrived, but we _must_ leave immediately. Can your ship be ready to sail again soon?"

"Yes, Princess Sama. We have with us four Lignum Magi. We are only able to use two of them, since the other two have used up their magic getting us here and must rest."

"Worry not Fujimoto, I will help with the ship's propulsion."

The royal guard seemed a bit surprised at the Princess' revelation.

"You are also Lignum Magi?"

Mila smiled secretively at the man in front of her. "No, I'm a whisperer."

Fujimoto and Minami looked at each other and shrugged, not knowing what 'whisperer' was.

Mila covered her mouth as she giggled. "Don't worry, you'll see soon."

The three headed back to the shore and boarded Emperor Katsuki's ship. The two Lignum Magi helped push them off and steer them safely out to the deep sea. Mila took a deep breath and reached out to the animals in the sea. Minami and Fujimoto both watched with curious fascination as the Princess' eyes began to change color.

 _Large friends of the sea, I need your help. We must make it to the nameless island…Mumei No Shima as quickly as possible. Please, help push our vessel as far as you can. I will reward you by leading you to a delicious feast._

Mila heard two voices replying to her call.

 ** _I will assist you, woman. I require food._**

 ** _I_** **_can also help you. It is interesting that you can speak to us._**

 _Thank you, thank you friends. Please don't overexert yourselves. Just take me as far as you can. I will reach out to others when we get to that point._

The two men from Orientalis watched as the foreign Princess seemed locked in some kind of trance.

 _/"…"/ denotes Iaponica speech_

/"Fujimoto San, what do you think she's doing? I have never seen this kind of magic before. Her eyes have changed color!"/

/"I do not yet know, Minami. Let us wait and see."/

Two jets of water, one on each side of the ship, burst forth from the water as two large whales fell into formation behind them. The ship lurched forward as the animals connected with the stern and began pushing it forward as they swam. The ship picked up considerable speed and cut lithely across the smooth sea.

Minami was in absolute awe. He was so incredibly excited that protocol went out the window and he addressed the Princess directly.

"Princess Sama, you are amazing! You can talk to animals?"

"Minami!"

Realizing his mistake, Minami immediately threw himself down in front of Fujimoto, ready to beg for forgiveness.

The Princess' voice cut in however, before he could even start."

"I am not fond of official royal protocols and decorum. Both of you may speak to me and ask me any questions you desire. Fujimoto, please do not punish Minami."

Fujimoto eyed the exotic woman appreciatively. He was rather impressed by this foreign Princess. She seemed strong-willed and fair.

"As you wish, Princess Sama."

"Minami?"

Kenjiro took an apprehensive step toward the Princess.

"Y-y-yes, Princess Sama?"

"You are correct, I can communicate with animals. That is what being a 'whisperer' means. I was woken from my slumber this morning by your messenger bird…Ah-zah-me…is it?"

Minami nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right! His name is Azami! He told you that himself?"

"Yes, he did. He was desperate to deliver your Emperor's message and to stop the conflict that was about to take place at the harbor."

"Wow! That really is amazing! I always knew he could understand what we said…I never knew there was magic that would allow someone to hear an animal's thoughts."

"It is a skill quite common among my people. I inherited my skills from my father."

"Who are your people, Princess Sama?", Fujimoto inquired

"My people are elves. Have you ever heard of us?"

Fujimoto shook his head. "I have not. You are the first of your kind that I have ever met."

Mila blushed slightly at the revelation. "Ah, sorry your first ever experience has you dealing with the mess that I probably resemble right now. I usually look much more dignified."

Minami cut in with a big goofy grin on his face.

"Princess Sama has very striking features! Princess Sama's hair is like a fiery sunset, and has very beautiful ears! Minami thinks that Princess Sama could choose to wear grain sacks and still not have her grace affected at all!"

Fujimoto shook his head and groaned. Minami had such a strange way with words.

Mila laughed heartily at the adorable young man. That was the first time anyone had used wearing grain sacks as a means to compliment her allure.

"Minami, you are so cute! Thank you for your flattery."

Minami's face burned bright red as he awkwardly fidgeted with his sash.

"Thank you, Princess Sama."

Fujimoto turned and said something to Minami in their native tongue and the young man nodded enthusiastically before excusing himself and running off to go below deck. He then turned to the Princess and motioned for her to go below deck as well.

"Princess Sama, we shall prepare a bath and a fresh change of clothes for you. There will also be some fresh food for you below deck. Please follow me."

Mila shook her head.

"I greatly thank you for your hospitality and concern, Fujimoto. But as long as the animals are assisting us, I must stay up here and keep my connection with them open. They will simply leave if they cannot feel me or hear me anymore. I want to make sure that we make up as much distance as possible, so that we are not so far behind the King's ship. They have a two-hour head start, at least. We have to narrow that gap if we are to have any chance of getting to them before something goes terribly wrong."

Fujimoto understood and nodded solemnly.

"Won't keeping the connection open be a drain on your magic, Princess Sama?"

Mila nodded. "Yes, but we don't have many other options available to us right now. I promise to stop and rest once they have taken us as far as they can and before calling out for the second pair."

"If I may be so bold, Princess Sama. Why do you believe conflict is so inevitable?"

"A party of three was sent to the same island you currently occupy about 4 days ago. A pair of assassins and a young and very...stubborn...archer. Last night we received word that the young archer had been separated from the other two and that his whereabouts were unaccounted for."

"Ah, the golden-haired one that was found poisoned in the forest near our camp."

"Correct. He is the King's ward and as such...is a very important and valuable member of the court. The King left at dawn this morning to personally search for his ward, and so did not receive the message from your Emperor in time. This may lead to massive misunderstanding as they might assume that he has been taken prisoner. Our clans have never met before. There's likely to be a lot of suspicion and mistrust on both sides. If things go badly, it could result in great conflict."

Fujimoto's eyes grew wide as he realized that this situation had the potential to quickly get out of hand.

"We must prevent this outcome at all costs."

Mila nodded quietly as her eyes roved the vast sea around them.


	16. A Meeting of Assassins

The fog of unconsciousness slowly lifted as Sara came to. She fought the urge to moan and give herself away, and instead went about gathering as much information as she could from her surroundings. She was lying on her side blindfolded, that much was clear immediately. She wiggled her fingers and toes before trying to move her wrists and ankles. Her heart sank when she discovered that all four limbs were tied up and she was effectively helpless and at the mercy of whoever sleep-darted her. _Well, I guess I should be thankful that at least it was a sleep dart and not a poison dart. I probably wouldn't be waking up at all if that were the case._

Sara listened intently as she honed in on the noises around her. There were quite a few people around by the sounds of it. She couldn't understand anything that was being said, however, no matter how much she strained her ears. _It sounds like I am at a camp...most likely the one came across earlier._ She could smell a stable, likely horses, and also food. _They're well-established, whoever they are._

"Oh good, you're awake."

Sara froze immediately. _How the hell did I not realize there was someone in here with me?_

Light and feathery laughter filled the room as she felt herself being picked up and put in a sitting position with her legs bent at the knee.

"I'm _very_ good at what I do, young lady. Which is why you weren't able to sense me earlier until it was too late, and why you didn't realize I was standing right next to you until you heard me speak."

Sara heard the sound of a liquid of sorts being poured into a cup and suddenly realized just how thirsty she was. Her vision was suddenly filled with fantasies involving gulping down refreshing glasses of water.

"I mean you no harm and have no intention of allowing any to come to you. Using the dart was the fastest and least dangerous method of bringing you in for questioning. I did not wish to engage you in a confrontation that could have resulted in any bodily harm."

Sara listened quietly as the woman spoke. Her Anglicus was slightly accented, but easy to understand. She didn't pick up any obvious deceit in the woman's voice, but that was always something easy enough to disguise if you knew how. She heard the woman approach and tensed up, not knowing what to expect.

"I'm going to hold the glass of water under your nose for inspection. Surely your training has covered scenting liquids for toxins or poisons?"

Sara nodded her head once and waited for the glass to be brought up to her nose. She sniffed at the cup several times and determined that the water contained in it was clean. She nodded once more and sighed with relief once the container touched her mouth and the cool liquid made its way past her parched lips. She gulped greedily at the refreshment.

"Hey, hey...slow down! There's a lot more where this came from."

Sara immediately regretted trying to drink so quickly as she began to cough and sputter. The woman moved up behind her and patted her back lightly while she whispered soothing words to calm her down. Once she had stopped coughing, the cup was brought to her lips once mo

"There, let's go a bit slower this time, shall we?"

Sara drank until the cup was empty. When she was offered more, she shook her head. She had had enough for the moment.

"Name and rank."

"Sara Crispino. Lead Royal Assassin."

"Crispino...hmm...that's a name from Italia, isn't it? You're quite far from home."

Sara was floored that someone from such a far-away land would know that she came from Italia based only on her family name. Whoever this woman was, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable.

"Correct."

"Who do you serve, Sara?"

"I serve King Viktor Nikiforov, ruler of Occidentis and leader of the Ice Dragon Magic Clan."

"Well, isn't that interesting. Our clans go 500 years without ever interacting with one another and suddenly we have two Ice Dragons land in our lap in just about as many days."

Sara's heart skipped as she did not miss what the woman had implied. _Two Ice Dragons...the only other unaccounted Ice Dragon was Squire Plisetsky! Stay calm Sara...don't give her something to use against you._

"How about you? Who are you and who do you serve?"

The woman laughed. "Trying to change the subject, hmm? Alright, I'll bite.

"I'm Minako Okukawa, Royal Shinobi. I serve Emperor Katsuki, ruler of Orientalis and leader of the Phoenix Purification Magic Clan."

Sara was overwhelmed. There was so much new information in the woman's statement that she didn't know what part of it to address first. She settled for the one word she'd never heard before.

"Shinobi?"

"Ah, sorry about that. I'd forgotten that Shinobi is not a word used frequently outside of Orientalis. I believe you may know the word 'Ninja' instead."

Sara was really glad for that blindfold at the moment, because her eyes grew so large that she feared they would fall out of their sockets. 'Ninja' was a word that was legendary in Occidentis. Mysterious warrior assassins who were stealth personified. They had an uncanny ability to blend in with the shadows. Some even said that they were inhuman beings made purely of shadows. To have one be in the same room as her was morbidly curious. There was so much she wanted to ask the woman. Instead, she chose to reign in her awe and excitement and tried to stay as neutral as possible.

"Ah, I see. Phoenix Purification Magic Clan...that's the other clan the gods chose to bestow their power upon, correct?"

"Correct. Our clan wields fire magic. Well, direct members of the court do. Those closest to the Emperor. Other members of the court wield other forms of elemental magic. I imagine that things work just about the same with the Ice Dragons?"

"Yes. I am not a direct member of the King's court, therefore I do not wield ice magic. I am just a human assassin."

Sara paused, the question she was about to ask would be telling sign of what was to come, good or bad.

"So, if both our clans were given magic from the gods to fight the demons...shouldn't that mean that were are...allies?"

Sara held her breath as she waited for the Ninja Woman to answer. She heard a rustling noise, and sensing that the woman was coming in close, braced herself for the worst. Instead of being harmed however, she had her blindfold removed. Sara squinted and blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the light in the room.

Once she was able to see properly, she eyed the foreign beauty before her. Her hair was long and a rich milk chocolate color. Her eyes were a gray she hadn't seen before, the color of a stormy sky. She was wearing a black skintight one-piece suit with metal shoulder guards, gauntlets with elbow spikes and plated greaves. She was also armed to the teeth with multiple swords and some type of projectile she had never seen before. As she looked down at the woman's feet she saw that she didn't appear to be wearing shoes. Her suit seemed to extend all the way down to her toes, with a kind of thong made of red cloth separating her big toe from the rest. Sara couldn't help herself and blurted out he first thing that came to her mind.

"Isn't it uncomfortable? Running around nearly barefoot like that?"

The Ninja woman laughed heartily at the younger assassin's curiosity. _She's kind of cute, this one!_

"Nope. It's what allows me to have the high level of stealth that I do, actually."

Then she pointed to Sara's boots.

"Those may look great and protect your whole leg, but they make for some really loud footsteps. I heard you trying to sneak around long before I saw you."

Sara was feeling quite irritated that her feet had given her away. She'd practiced her stalking for hours on end and had always thought herself a pretty silent one. To find out that something as silly as her choice of footwear had given her away was infuriating.

"Anyway, to answer your question from earlier...there has never been an official alliance between our clans. We've pretty much kept to our own continents for the past 500 years and dealt with the demons within our reach. I don't think our Emperor is opposed to forming new alliances, though. His motto has always been 'strong alone, stronger together'."

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. At least my life is not in danger here.

"We _did_ save that mouthy Archer friend of yours earlier. So I'd like to think we've earned some future ally points for that."

Sara's head snapped up the mention of the 'mouthy archer'.

"Squire Plisetsky...he lives?"

Minako got down on one knee and leaned forward.

"He does. We got to him as he was on death's door, but pulled him back into the world of the living with some powerful antidotes and potions. He's just about fully recovered and will only suffer a small scar on his leg from where the demon dagger pierced him."

Sara just about cried with the relief of knowing that Squire Plisetsky was not only alive, but alive and well.

"May I...see him? I have some... _*ahem*_ _important_ things to tell him."

Sara laughed.

"I bet you do. I said some 'important' things to him earlier as well. He's currently meeting our Emperor and sharing a meal with him."

All the color drained from Sara's face when she learned that the brat was meeting with a foreign leader...by himself. A foreign leader they could make an alliance with. An alliance which would most likely be ruined by his mouth before it even began.

"Oh God. He's going to turn us into enemies before the meal is over."

Minako had to laugh heartily at that. She laughed so hard that she cried.

She patted the young assassin reassuringly on the shoulder as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

"You're right! He's most likely in there right now getting his foot stuck in his mouth...again. I've known him for a very short time...but can already tell that he is trouble. I don't envy you _at all_."

…

Michele was back at the rendezvous point, waiting impatiently for his twin Sara to return. He hadn't seen any distress signals or any of her secret messages, so he didn't yet have a reason to worry. _She most likely found the brat's trail and is just following it as far as it takes her and gathering all the information she can. She's always been incredibly thorough with her tracking. She probably just lost track of time._ Michele wandered off to the shore and started looking around for something he could catch for dinner. As he looked out to sea, he saw a dark blob on the horizon approaching the island. He took out his collapsible telescope and extended it fully before bringing up to his right eye. To say that he was startled to see a royal ship heading toward him was an understatement. _That's the King's ship! The King himself is on his way here?_

Michele's thoughts raced ahead at breakneck speed. _If the King is personally leading the mission to recover Squire Plisetsky...it must be because he thinks the people who have captured him are dangerous! Oh, no! That means Sara's in danger! If she's tracking him and she encounters these people, they could try to harm her!_

Michele collapsed the telescope and placed it in its pouch at his hip. He turned on his heel and ran off as quickly as possible in the direction that Sara had gone earlier. He had to find her. He had to make sure she safe. As he ran, a dark look crossed his face. _I'm going to cut off the hands of any bastard who has dared to lay a hand on her. I don't care who these people are. They will pay if they've harmed Sara in any way!_

_phrases_

The phrase 'strong alone, stronger together' is from the third person looter shooter game Anthem


	17. Culinary Conundrums

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky stared down the pointy edges of the sharp blades jutting out from the de facto Emperor's fan. He looked to his left and saw an armed guard standing there, and an equally burly and surly-looking counterpart on his right. He was utterly outnumbered, overpowered and just fucked. He felt so weak and powerless then, and it devastated him. He didn't want to believe that this is how it was going to end for him. He was too young and had so much more that he still wanted to do with his life. He had just gotten his first taste of killing demons. He wanted to kill so many more. He wanted to keep killing them until there wasn't a single one left. Then, and only then, would he feel that his parents' deaths had been fully avenged. He had thought himself powerful and ready to take on the world. He had just learned, unfortunately too late, that there was always someone bigger, stronger and more powerful out there. The frustration and disappointment all came crashing down on him at once and he felt the tears seeping from his eyes and trailing down his cheeks before he could stop himself./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Then something unexpected happened. The blades were suddenly retracted and the Emperor lowered his fan. Something was spoken in a foreign language and the two guards slunk back into the shadows. Squire Plisetsky sank down to his knees, his legs no longer having the strength to hold him up. His body shook and trembled as he took in one ragged breath after another, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden surge of adrenaline to his system. He heard the Emperor walking away from him, but did not dare to look up./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I shall hold off on passing judgment, for now, young man. I have a personal policy of not making any important decisions on an empty stomach. I do not know about you, but I have been rather looking forward to this meal all day. I do not wish to have it ruined by the prospect of a rather distasteful outcome."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor moved to the table and picked up his robes gracefully before setting himself down on the cushions provided./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You may join me at the table when you feel ready."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky held his position for a few more minutes, not really sure how he would just saunter over and join the Emperor for lunch, given everything that had just happened. But then the scent of food hit his nose and his stomach made its position on the matter quite clear to him. He braved a short peek at the table ahead of him. The Emperor seemed busy with his soup and was not paying him any attention at all. He stood up slowly, and wiped his tears away on the bank for his hand. He sniffled a few times as he straightened himself up and smoothed his trousers over with his hands. He took small tentative steps toward the table and stopped just before it, and waited to be acknowledged. Once he saw that the Emperor was looking at him, he bowed. He had seen the people around here do it a lot, so he figured it must be a sign of respect or something./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I-I'm sorry. I w-was out of line earlier. P-p-lease forgive me."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky scrunched his eyes closed as he waited for the Emperor's reaction. The Emperor eyed the young man over approvingly before speaking./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It takes a brave man to run out onto a battlefield, but it takes an even braver man to admit that he is wrong or has made a mistake. Please sit."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The young man nodded and bowed once more for good measure before gently lowering himself onto the cushions. He had never eaten so low to the ground before, and found it interesting that everything seemed to be eaten at this same height. He eyed the spread of food before him, noting with great relief that the arrangement was nearly identical to the one from earlier on in the day./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He began with the soup, since that was the same one as what he'd had before and what the Emperor had also started with. He decided that he would eat more slowly than usual and keep an eye on what the monarch was doing and follow his lead. They ate in silence but he didn't even notice, for he was too focused on the Emperor's hands and motions. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"He's so graceful. Viktor walks with confidence and commands a room with his presence. But this guy…he works on a whole different level. He's got this quiet dignity and beauty that makes you want to pay attention to him. He looks harmless at first, but his eyes definitely have this underlying promise of power. /spanThe young man shuddered as he recalled the look in those eyes just a little while earlier. He had never felt so terrified in his entire life./p  
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p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you cold, young man?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky startled so badly that he almost dropped the bowl of soup he had in his hands. He managed to save the situation from ultimate disaster, but still ended up spilling some soup on his hands and table. He breathed a sigh of sheer relief as he was fairly certain that he'd get instantaneously beheaded if he somehow ended up throwing soup on the Emperor. With trembling hands, he placed the bowl back on the table and shook his head, daring a quick peek at the Emperor across from him. For a brief moment, he thought he saw amusement flicker in those eyes, and it made him bristle a bit. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Is he…laughing at me?!/span Squire Plisetsky plastered a strained smile on his lips and spoke through gritted teeth./p  
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p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I'm fine, thank you."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He picked his cloth napkin from the table and tried to discreetly clean up the mess he'd made. The comfortable silence returned and all was going quite well until the next course was placed on the table. Squire Plisetsky's eyes grew wide as he stared at his plate. He had no idea what he was looking at. It looked beautiful, whatever it was…but he had absolutely no clue as to what it could possibly be. This was not something that had been part his 'training meal' earlier. He recognized the white rice immediately, that's about it. He studied his plate silently for quite some time, fighting the urge to pick everything apart with his fork for better inspection. There were little circles of rice wrapped in some kind of dark coating and with colorful centers. After squinting intensely at it for a few seconds, he thought he recognized carrots and cucumbers. Next to those were little oval-shaped stacks of rice with some kind of colorful meat on them and held together by more of the dark stuff wrapped around the little rice circles. He sniffed at the meat, and was dismayed to find that it had no telling smell he could identify. He looked around the table and saw a bottle containing some of the same salty dark liquid he'd had with his meal earlier, and felt further relief when he recognized slices of fresh ginger. He instantly brightened when he spotted it, for he'd really enjoyed the ginger. It was spicy and he was a total sucker for how it made his whole mouth tingle. To his right, he saw a little flat and circular dish containing a mysterious green paste. He had not seen that before and was rather intrigued. A peppery-pungent smell emanated from it and he was quite curious as to how it fit in with everything else. When he lifted his eyes to look across the table, he saw that the Emperor was watching him with a rather curious expression on his face./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Huuuh?! I…uh…mean…what's wrong Mr. Emperor Cat-soo-key, Sir?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"There was that damn twinkle in his eyes, mocking him again. He gritted his teeth and used every ounce of willpower to keep his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to tear into the guy and ask him what the fuck his problem was…he knew that it was probably not the best idea at the moment. He was skating on thin ice, and he knew it. The Emperor's smooth voice filled the room as he spoke./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I see that you are not familiar with sushi or nigiri."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky furrowed an eyebrow as he took in and absorbed the foreign words./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What meat is that on top of the rice?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""That would be fresh salmon."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""How do you cook it to make it look like that?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor laughed./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's not cooked, it's raw."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky's eyes nearly bulged out of his head./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Raw?! As in not-cooked-cut-from-a-fish-flesh-and-slapped-on-a plate, RAW?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor tapped his chin pensively for a few seconds before answering./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Is there any span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"other/span kind of raw? I'm not overly familiar with Occidentis-style cuisine, but I was not aware that there existed other versions of 'raw' out there. Fascinating."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky could practically hear the sound of his blood boiling in his ears. He saw right through the Emperor's facade, and recognized the playful tone in the man's voice. He was outright taunting him! Before his temper got the best of him and he went nuclear, the Emperor spoke once more./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Would you like to know how to eat it? It's quite safe and rather tasty! Eating the fish raw is the best way to bring out the flavors in the meat. This fish was caught this very morning that is why it carries no scent. Properly fresh fish never does."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The young Squire took a few calming breaths before speaking. He was actually quite curious about the food and really wanted to try it now that he knew a bit more about it. It was also the first time he'd seen the Emperor appearing to be even remotely excited or showing emotion over something. He trusted that reaction more than he trusted the words./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes, please."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor smiled warmly at him, flashing a strip of shiny white teeth./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The small circular ones are the sushi. Sticky white rice is layered on top of a sheet of nori; or dried seaweed, then topped with sliced carrots, cucumbers and raw tuna fish, before it's tightly rolled up and then cut into those pieces."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky could feel himself turning green at the mention of dried seaweed./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Seaweed? As in the stinky stuff that floats around on the sea?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor chuckled./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes and no. It's the same plant, but harvested fresh and then sun-dried. It's very different from what you are imagining right now. Some even like to eat it as a standalone snack."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The young Squire rubbed the bridge of his nose as he furrowed his brow./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You guys eat some really weird stuff over here."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I suppose it would seem rather strange to someone who has never encountered it before. I imagine that there are quite a few dishes over in Occidentis that someone from Orientalis would find odd."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky paused thoughtfully before nodding in agreement./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I suppose you are right about that."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He looked down at his plate once more, feeling a bit more confident about what he was faced with./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So if this one is the sushi, then the one on the right is the…nee-ghee-ree?"br /br /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He paused to look up at the Emperor before continuing once he saw him nod./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I know the white stuff is rice, and the pink stuff is salmon. So the dark stuff must be…more seaweed stuff?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor smiled at him once more./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I see you know…your stuff."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So...how do you eat it?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well, usually with chopsticks, but you'd have to do a lot of training before you'd be able to eat this successfully. Lucky for you, it's quite acceptable to pick them up with your fingers."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Young Plisetsky felt incredibly grateful that just for once, he was actually being encouraged to eat with his hands instead of being yelled at to use cutlery. The Emperor continued his instruction./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""With the nigiri, you first flip it over...like this."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor elegantly turned the nigiri over so that the fish was now at the bottom. Then he took a small and shallow circular dish and poured some of the salty black liquid into it./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This is soy sauce, it's mainly made from fermented soybeans and roasted grain. You should lightly dip the nigiri in the soy sauce so that it lightly coats the fish and the fish only. You should not get any soy sauce on the rice."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor demonstrated, exaggerating his movements and slowing down quite a bit so that the young Squire could see what he was he doing./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Then, once the fish has been sufficiently coated, you pop the whole thing in your mouth and chew."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky thought the Emperor had been teasing him again when he mentioned eating it all in one bite. Taking in big mouthfuls of food was rude, impolite and uncouth. He'd had his hands painfully whacked with wooden spoons every time he'd been caught doing just that. So his jaw nearly hit the floor when the Emperor exactly what he said he was going to do. He still thought that the foreign man was trying to trick him somehow, right up until he saw the look of pure bliss on his face as he chewed. Wholly vexed by his rampant curiosity, the Squire could hold off no longer. He gently turned his nigiri over onto its back and poured some soy sauce into his own little dish before carefully dipping in and coating the fish. He picked it up and brought it up to his face, pausing briefly to stare at it before taking the plunge. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Well, he goes./span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He really shouldn't have worried so much. The nigiri ended up being one of the best things he'd ever eaten. So many different flavors burst into his mouth at the same time. The saltiness of the soy sauce, then a rather strong flavor...probably the seaweed, mellowed out by the slightly sour vinegar taste of rice and the smooth texture of the salmon, which had a surprisingly mild taste. He was in heaven./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor watched him, happy to see that he seemed to be enjoying his first taste of raw fish./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""If you wish to go between the nigiri and sushi, eat a piece of ginger in between. It's a palate cleanser and will prepare your mouth for different flavors, since to different fish are used."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Squire Plisetsky listened intently to every piece of information the man imparted on him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Now, with the sushi, you want to dip just one corner of it into the soy sauce, like this."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The eager Squire watched, enthralled, as the Emperor delicately dipped one end of the sushi into the soy sauce and then once again popped the whole thing into his mouth. The young man smiled. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I think I'm really going to enjoy Orientalis food./span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The two men sat in amicable silence, both too caught up in the good food to care about much else. The young man was down to his last piece of nigiri when he remembered the green paste./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What's this green stuff?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""That's wasabi. It's a plant native to Orientalis, and a relative of the mustard plant. Its flavor is similar to the horseradish of Occidentis."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The young man's eyes widened with glee at the mention of horseradish. He was absolutely addicted to the stuff back home. It added a spicy kick to his food that was unparalleled./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh! It must be spicy then! I love spicy food!"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor began to speak./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes, very spicy. It's meant to be used span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"very/span...spa...ring...ly."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Emperor's eyes widened comically in shock, for after flipping his nigiri over, the young Squire had used a small spoon to pick up a healthy serving of wasabi and slathered it all along its length. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Oh sweet kami, this is going to be priceless./span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Squire picked up his nigiri, shoved it happily into his mouth and began to chew. By the second bite, his eyes filled with panic and he began snorting air through his nose. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Ohmygoditburns! It BURNS! /spanHis nose felt on fire, his sinuses felt like he'd snorted the stuff instead of eating it. He waved his hands comically in front of his face, trying in vain to alleviate the pain. His eyes watered as he tried to chew faster and swallow the rest whole. He heard a strange noise and looked sharply in front of him to see a rather red-faced Emperor struggling to keep his composure. When he saw the young Squire's incredulous face though, all flushed with cheeks bulging with nigiri, he could keep his laughter contained no longer. He broke decorum in spectacular fashion by bursting into thunderous mirth. His amusement so great that he tapped the table loudly with his palm. The young Squire quickly swallowed the rest of his food and drained his glass of water in one gulp. Feeling suddenly very overwhelmed, the young man flopped onto his back and tried to catch his breath as the burning sensation slowly left him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After finally being able to compose himself, Emperor Katsuki took out one of his fans and cooled himself down. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"He's ridiculously angry all the time, he's brash, and more foul-mouthed than a peasant fish monger...but praise kami if he isn't entertaining!/span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p 


	18. Converging Forces

Mila's vision swam as she found herself swaying dangerously and unsteadily with each swell of the waves. She was absolutely, positively and utterly exhausted. She was no longer hungover, but the lack of sleep and dehydration combined with the constant drain of her powers, were causing her to struggle to stay awake. She could feel the pull of blissful unconsciousness tugging at her brain, dulling her senses. A strong, warm hand on her lower back snapped her back into focus. She looked over her shoulder to see Fujimoto standing just off to her side, eyes respectfully averted.

"Forgive me for touching you, Princess Sama. I tried calling out to you but you did not respond. I worried that you would fall and injure yourself. I accept any punishment you wish to dole out for my transgressions."

Mila shook her head as she tried clearing the cobwebs from her brain. She rubbed groggily at her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"Are all the people of Orientalis this obsessed with getting punished for things, or just you Fujimoto?"

Fujimoto smiled wryly at the Princess.

"It's not so much about the punishment as it is about dishonor, Princess Sama. My people take honor _very_ seriously. We have very strict codes for behavior and conduct. Doing something dishonorable not only brings shame down upon you, but also your family and all those associated with you. So transgressions, when they do happen, must be punished without question. There is no greater fear than falling into disgrace."

Mila smiled warmly at the Royal Guard.

"I see. My people also have a strong sense of honor and fairness, with proud traditions dating back centuries."

Mila felt her eyes trying to close and her knees gave a slight wobble. Fujimoto was standing in front of her, concern written all over his face.

"Forgive me for overstepping my authority Princess Sama, but you absolutely must rest. Your body cannot hold out much longer."

Mila looked at the guard with heavily drooping eyes.

"But…we don't have time…we can't waste it…we must…faster."

"Our Lignum Magi are rested enough that they can take over propulsion duties from the sea animals while you rest, Princess Sama. You are most honorable for pushing yourself beyond your limits and have earned my sincerest admiration and respect. I besiege you, rest a while."

Mila simply did not have the strength to argue with the man anymore. She turned to the sea and released the two whales that had been helping push them so smoothly through the water. She directed them to a nearby shoal of sardines and thanked them for their service. Completely drained, she slumped over and fell forward. She was whisked off her feet by a pair of strong and gentle arms, fully asleep before her feet even left the ground.

Fujimoto carried the sleeping Princess below deck and onto a clean cot. He instructed the female servants to bathe her and dress her in a training uniform. They looked questioningly at each other, but did not dare speak out about the guard's strange request. Fujimoto had a feeling that the foreign Princess cared little for fancy robes or ornamental clothing. He had seen it earlier in the way she had run toward them. She had been the perfect vision of some wild forest spirit, someone used to having the freedom to run at will. His eyes had had a hard time believing that the 'spirit' was actually a svelte woman with hair like an auburn flame and strangely pointed ears. He had been even more surprised to find out she was a Princess. He had always heard the rumors that Occidentis was a strange land, but had never expected it to be _so_ strange. And, just when he thought that he had reached the limit for bizarre revelations, the Princess announced her ability to speak to animals. That one was wholly surprising to him, for he had not expected such abilities to exist outside of Orientalis. He found himself looking forward to meeting the other interesting characters this strange land had to offer. _I wonder what their ruler will be like. Will he be honorable and strong like our Emperor or will be as bullheaded and boorish as the rumors?_ Fujimoto summoned the four Lignum Magi and asked them if they were sufficiently rested and ready to resume their duties. Every single one stated their willingness to serve. He nodded appreciatively at them, before asking them all to work together and use their powers simultaneously.

"I'm sorry to make such an unreasonable demand of you at present, but time is not a luxury we have. We must reach Mumei no Shima as quickly as possible. A potential war hangs in the balance. Princess Sama has exhausted herself to the point of unconsciousness to give us a head start. We must not allow her efforts and sacrifice to go to waste!"

A chorus of "はい、藤本さん!"rang out on deck before the wood mages assumed their strategic positions on the ship and activated their powers. The ship hummed with magic as it slowly picked up momentum before easing into a comfortable speed. Fujimoto looked on, pleased with the results of the mages' determination. Hopefully, it would be enough.

…

King Nikiforov spent most of the trip pacing the ship's deck distractedly. He busied himself developing and creating as many contingency plans regarding Squire Plisetsky in his head as possible. They ranged from potentially captured, to severely injured, possibly incapacitated, and least-favorably; irreversibly dead. His mind raced ahead and kept making him second-guess himself. He growled in frustration. He just wanted to _be there_ already. He just need to _know_...so he could move ahead with one of his measures. Not knowing was the worst. It was also making the journey feel like it was taking years instead of hours. He had paused a few times to scan the horizon, feeling increasingly annoyed by the lack of any land. The vast sea stretched out infinitely, as if mocking him. He had never been to the Nameless Island before. It was not prominent in any treaty or territorial dispute. He had sent the reconnaissance party to scout things out based on the persistent rumors that demons had taken hold of it and were operating from it. The sources were very credible and it wouldn't hurt to have the area properly mapped, so he had sent them off. His fatal error had been to send Squire Plisetsky with them. _That little пятно дерьма, he is going to regret this fuckup for the rest of his life. I'll make sure of it._

The King took out his telescope and scanned the vastness of the blue sea around them. His excited gasp drew General Altin to his side immediately.

"Sire?"

"General Altin, land ho!"

The General took the telescope from the monarch's hand and confirmed with his own eyes that land had indeed been sighted. He handed the telescope back to the King and strode to the middle of the ship's deck and made an announcement too all those on board. He informed them that it appeared they would be making landfall in about two hours. Everyone was to finalize preparations and ready the supplies for efficient disembarkment. The General returned to the King's side once more.

"What is the plan once we reach land, your majesty?"

"The first thing we must do is locate a suitable encampment site. We can send the servants and staff off to do that while the three of us meet up with the two assassins. That'll make five of us in the search party. One hour before we make landfall, I will send Ciocco out with a message. She will make quick work of finding her master, and informing them of our arrival."

The General nodded slowly.

"And you are certain that you wish to personally lead the search party, Sire?"

"I am certain, General Altin. I must be there when the Squire's condition is revealed to us. I must sight him with my very own eyes."

The General placed his right hand over his heart and bowed deeply toward the King.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

...

Michele Crispino found his sister's tracks with ease, for he knew the prints her boots made quite well. The damp earth made it even easier to track her, as they preserved the prints beautifully. When he reached the spot where the brat's trail ended, he saw his sister's continue. He frowned as he saw the large gap between prints. _She must have set off in a big hurry._ He looked around at all the trees surrounding him and set his sights on the tallest one he could find. He walked up determinedly at it before pulling himself upon the lowest branch. He climbed the tree effortlessly until he was high enough to get a good look at the terrain. He was not prepared for the sight that awaited him. There was massive camp not even one kilometer away from his position. It was a huge camp, filled with at least a hundred people. He just _knew_ that Sara was in there. _Dammit! If only there weren't so many people! I would run in there and save her myself!_ Michele's eyes narrowed as he glared at the campsite with as much disdain as he could muster. He watched it helplessly as he seethed with growing anger. _Don't worry Sara, I WILL get you out of there. I'll kill anyone who dares to get in my way!_

_terminology_

はい、藤本さん! (hai, Fujimoto-san) – Yes, Mr. Fujimoto!

пятно дерьма (pyatno der'ma) - shit stain


	19. The King's Landing

Michele was pacing back and forth in a patch of forest not far from the newly discovered encampment when he heard a familiar screech. He looked up and saw the brown hawk diving down toward him. He quickly removed his hood and wrapped it around his forearm. He didn't have the same thick padded leather that Sara had for these specific purposes, so he had to do the best to protect his arm from the raptor's sharp claws. Once done, he held his arm up and whistled. The hawk circled him once before coming in and hovering a bit before landing.

"Hey there Ciocco bella! Good girl! I know I'm not Sara, you probably couldn't find her, huh?"

Michele scratched the top of the bird's head before removing the message from her leg. He unrolled the piece of paper and unlocked its enchantment. The message revealed itself immediately. Michele's eyes grew wide when he saw that it was from the King himself.

 **Dear Sara and Michele,**

 **We will reach land in about one hour's time. We will drop anchor on the western side of the island, please meet us there. Be prompt.**

 **Regards,**

 **King V. Nikiforov**

Michele cursed under his breath as he looked at the position of the sun in the sky. If he ran, he might just make it to the rendezvous point in time.

"Lead the way, Ciocco. Show me where they are."

He lifted his arm into the air, launching the hawk smoothly into the sky. It took off high above him, and he followed quickly from below.

…

He made it to the shore just as the ship was pulling in. Michele thanked his lucky stars that he'd made it in time, the king did not take well to being kept waiting. He used the extra time to catch his breath and watched as the ship dropped anchor and the King stepped up to the bow. He waited with barely contained excitement as he knew what was about to happen. The King did not like to flaunt his power and some other elemental magic users did. He had no need to. He was one of the two most powerful element users in the world from a family chosen by the Gods themselves. He preferred to use his power for practical purposes and to assist those in need. The King opened his arms and an invisible vortex of wind whipped up around him, ruffling his silver hair and causing his cape to flap about around him. His eyes became completely whited out and the air in the area became noticeably colder. Michele shuddered as he felt the immense power rolling off their leader in waves. It wasn't long before the water in the narrow inlet froze over, with only the area immediately in front of the boat being affected. Once the water had been frozen solid, a ladder was lowered onto the ice and the General stepped off first. Second to disembark was the king, followed closely behind by a a castle guard he knew all too well. Michele groaned as Emil Nekola smiled happily and waved enthusiastically when he spotted him on the shore. Nekola was an accomplished castle guard and all-around likable guy, but he had an unwelcome interest in his sister Sara, and so he was considered the enemy.

The General nodded curtly in his direction as he stepped onto the path the Terrae Magi had created for them in the sand. Rocks had risen from deep under the ground and created a solid road from which carting supplies would be much facilitated. Michele felt a pang of jealously as, much like his sister, he was born without any magic in him. To him, it was just another way in which life had been cruel to them. After they had been orphaned at just 4 years of age, they had been passed off onto some distant relatives who had been more interested in working them to the bone than taking proper care of them. When hard times hit and money and food was scarce, their 'family' hadn't thought twice before selling them off as slaves. The had suffered for years before they had finally escaped. They had arrived in Occidentis weak and starving, and on the brink of death. Sara had gone out foraging for food and had been caught stealing a loaf of bread. They finally hit some good luck that day, as the King had been on one of his undercover city tours and had insisted on taking Sara into his care and then him also the moment he discovered that she had a twin brother. He had a much better life than he thought he'd every have. But he was always quick to become bitter about the past.

"Michele Crispino, report!"

The young assassin was jolted back to reality and saw three sets of eyes looking at him with varied degrees of concern and confusion. He realized that the King was waiting for a reply.

"Forgive me Your Highness. It seems that I was lost in thought. It's been a rather eventful two days."

The King narrowed his eyes at him as he spoke.

"Where is Sara? She would not willingly disobey a direct order."

Michele's face darkened considerably as he tried to keep his raging emotions under control.

"Her whereabouts are currently unknown, Sire. We went tracking this morning, to see if we could locate any trace of Squire Plisetsky. She did not meet me at the designated time and place and so I went looking for her. I believe she is being held in a camp up north."

The King sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples as he realized that he now had two missing people instead of one.

"How is this happening? Is there someone out there suddenly collecting Ice Dragons? This is unprecedented."

"Your Majesty, I can lead you to the camp, it's only..."

"No Michele, you will lead the team of servants and porters to a suitable camp site. I will carry on with General Altin and Lancer Nekola."

"But Sire, I can lead you right to the camp. Sara is in there, I must go. I beg you."

The King stepped forward and stared menacingly down at the male assassin.

"Do you doubt my judgment as your king, Mister Crispino?"

Michele swallowed thickly as he took in the look in the King's eyes. It promised him things he did not want to think about. He knew that he was skirting very dangerous territory and should probably control his mouth before it ran off and got him convicted of treason.

"No, Sire. Of course not, Sire. I respect your decision and will find a suitable camp site."

The King nodded slowly as he smiled a deceptively happy smile.

"I knew you'd see things more logically once you stopped to think them through. I understand that you're worried about your sister, but you must put your duty and loyalties first."

Michele bowed his head low.

"Yes, Sire. I understand. Forgive me for my earlier insolence."

Two horses were brought forth. The King mounted his stunning Akhal Teke stallion, arguably the most beautiful horse in all of Occidentis and the envy of other leaders in far-flung kingdoms. The horse was sturdy with a symmetrical triangular head and beautifully powerful limbs. Its most impressive feature was its silver buckskin coat. It glistened in the sunlight, giving the horse the appearance of being made of spun silver. The King's Horse The General's horse was also beautiful, but its most notable features were its size and strength. The General looked quite the sight, towering above the King and his mount on his black Shire horse with white socks and cropped tail. The General's Horse The lancer was not given a horse, as he would be expected to follow along on foot and be responsible for tracking. The two groups branched off and went their separate ways. The King's group kept an eye on Ciocco up above. She would certainly lead them right to Sara and also warn them if she spotted any danger up ahead. They set a brisk pace, speedy enough to cover a lot of ground quickly, but not to tire out the lancer too early. The King focused on the foreign land around him and absentmindedly stroked his horse's neck as he tried to mentally prepare himself for all the possibilities. I have no idea what we're going to find, I just hope that it's not bad news.

…

Mila sat up abruptly, the sheet that had been covering her slumbering form sliding off her body in the process. She looked around at the strange room she was in, momentarily having forgotten where she was. A steady rocking motion suddenly reminded her that she was on a boat. Oh, no! I must have fallen asleep! I have to get back up there. We don't have any time to lose! The elven princess stood up and immediately noticed the strange clothes on her body. She was wearing a very long-sleeved white shirt that seemed to wrap around her upper body. It was tucked into a pair wide-legged pants that reached down to the ground. Her feet were encased in a strange pair of shoes that looked more like socks than shoes. Her big toe was wrapped separately from the rest of her toes, and although it was a bit of a strange sensation, it was incredibly comfortable. She stretched her arms over her head and went over a few more exercises before nodding her head in appreciation. Whatever these clothes were, they were the most amazingly cozy garments she'd ever worn. The next thing she noticed was that she smelled good. Really good. She brought her wrist up to her nose and sniffed. A delicate floral scent filled her senses and she closed her eyes as she reveled in the fragrance. She smelled clean. They had also bathed her and washed her hair apparently. Wow, these people are so hospitable! How kind of them to think about my comfort. Although, I can imagine how unpleasant I smelled earlier, of alcohol and sweat. They were probably doing themselves a favor! Mila giggled as the thought crossed her mind.

"Princess Sama, are you awake?"

"Yes, Fujimoto. I am."

The curtain at the door of the room was pulled open and Fujimoto bowed deeply toward her.

"I hope that you have gotten enough rest, Princess Sama. You were rather exhausted and fell asleep on your feet."

"Ah, sorry for putting you through all that trouble! You probably had to carry me down here. Thank for the wonderful clothes! They give me so much mobility and are incredibly comfortable! And thanks also for thinking to have me bathed. I really appreciate all your care and generosity."

"It was no trouble at all, Princess Sama. You are rather light and no trouble to carry. I'm glad you like the clothes, I chose them specifically for you. You are helping us a lot, the least we could do was make you as comfortable as possible."

"How long was I asleep for?"

"You were asleep for two hours."

Mila was shocked.

"Two hours! That's much too long! We've missed out on covering so much ground! I must get back up on deck, right now!"

As Mila stepped forward, Fujimoto blocked her path.

"Worry not, Princess Sama. Our four Lignum Magi have been working diligently in your absence. They have been giving it their all so that you could rest and regain your strength."

Mila breathed a sigh of relief at the bit of news.

"That's great to hear, Fujimoto. But your mages must also be getting tired and will need rest themselves. I really must return to my post."

"I understand, Princesss Sama. Before you return to your post, please have some food first."

At the mention of food, Mila's stomach suddenly growled very loudly, causing Mila's face to turn the same color as her hair. Fujimoto chuckled and shook her his head.

"The decision has been made then. Come Princess Sama, let's get you something to eat."

…

Feeling as rested as she could feasibly allow herself to be at the moment and with a stomach full of delicious food, Mila felt recharged. She had discussed the next step with Fujimoto over breakfast. They were to head to the northern part of the island and would be able to pull into a dock that had been constructed for their ships quite some time ago. It would significantly cut down on the head start the King's delegation had on them, as they did not have knowledge pertaining to the location of the Emperor's camp. They would likely come ashore on the western side, as that's the nearest shoreline. They would have to make their way through the forest first. The dock on the northern shore was just a short distance from the camp. If they got lucky, they would be arriving at the camp just around the same time. So Mila flared her magic out once more and roped in two more eager helpers. She hoped that Fujimoto was right and that they would make it on time.

…

Michele Crispino seethed in silent anger as he led his group to a suitable campsite. He was severely displeased that he had been forced to stay with this group instead of going with the King. His fancy assassin title, position, and clout meant nothing if he didn't have Sara with him. Sometimes family was more important than the threat of treason.


	20. A Destiny Fulfilled

_**A/N: Sorry it's a bit late! This chapter is a bit of a monster with how many things got jam-packed into it! I also had a severe attack of the 'lazies' on the weekend and decided to give in to the urge to be a lazy vegetable.**_ _**BUT...it's finally happening guys! The long-fated-awaited meeting of the two clan leaders! Thanks so much to all those who have stuck with me during all this character development. Sorry for the literary/plot blue balls I have forced upon you. I shall give thee all sweet release now!**_

Sara stood up and straightened her back, stretching her arms high above her head before rubbing her wrists and shaking her legs out.

"Mmm, it feels so good not to be hog-tied."

Minako stood nearby with her arms crossed, chuckling as she watched the young assassin get the blood flowing again in her limbs.

"I apologize for your discomfort, but you must understand that we wanted to avoid a violent reaction once you regained consciousness. The best way to ensure that was to have you fully restrained."

Sara nodded as she pulled each arm across her chest, relishing the stretch.

"I understand. I do not hold any ill will toward you. You have been nothing but reasonable and cordial toward me."

Minako saw the young assassin staring down at her hips, spotting her own weapon belt resting there."

"Ah, sorry…I must hold onto all your weapons until we are granted an audience with the Emperor. It's nothing personal, just standard safety measures."

Sara stared longingly at her weapons, but acquiesced to the reasoning behind it.

"Ms. Okukawa, I must tell you something very important."

"Yes Miss Crispino, what is it?"

"I have a twin brother named Michele. He is very protective of me. He is either probably outside the encampment right now or has been to the area already. He is not the most….rational…person when it comes to anything related to me, especially if he perceives that I am in danger."

"Hmmm, I see. Thank you for informing me of this. There were signs of an intruder earlier on, but they'd vacated the area before we were able to sight them. I must go and inform the Emperor of this new development."

Minako turned to leave, but stopped to look over her shoulder.

"Are you hungry? I can have a meal sent in if you wish."

Sara opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach beat her to it, growling loudly at the mention of food.

Minako winked at the young assassin. I'll notify a servant, please wait here. That means no sneaking around, understood? There are guards stationed just outside the tent."

Sara nodded and sat down, made herself comfortable on a pile of cushions, and waited.

…

Emperor Katsuki accepted a pitcher from an attendant and poured a milky-looking liquid out of it into a ceramic cup before setting it in front of the young Squire.

"Drink. This will help calm the fire in your mouth."

The young Squire sat back up and eyed the cup and its contents suspiciously.

"What the f-…ah…what is it, Sir?"

"It's called amazake. It's basically fermented rice with water."

The Emperor purposely left out the part about the koji mold. Sometimes it was best to enjoy food without knowing everything that went into making it. The young man picked the cup up and sniffed cautiously at it, wrinkling his nose a bit at the strong smell.

"You drink rice as well as eat it? Wow, your people must really like rice."

The Emperor laughed heartily at the young man's comment. "Your frankness and sense of wonder are truly refreshing. I never realized how much rice plays a part in our culinary history. But you are right, I guess we really do love our rice."

"So what does the ah-mah-zah-key stuff taste like? You said it's fermented right? I can't drink alcohol yet, I'm too young."

"It's not alcoholic, I assure you. It's creamy, sweet and quite refreshing. I do however, suggest that you take a small sip at first, to see if is to your taste or not."

The Emperor's eyes twinkled with laughter as the young man across from him blushed fiercely and looked away, mumbling under his breath. He then took a deep breath and brought the cup to his lips, taking a small and tentative sip of the liquid in the cup. His eyes widened with shock and he brought the cup to his lips once more, taking a bigger sip of the milky white refreshment.

"Oh my god, this is amazing! Who knew that rice water could taste so…good!"

The Emperor gestured to the pitcher with a graceful sweeping gesture.

"Please have as much as you'd like."

A guard from the tent's entrance suddenly spoke, announcing the arrival of a guest.

 **Denotes Iaponica speech /"…"/**

/"Okukawa Minako San has arrived with urgent news, Your Greatness."/

/"Send her in, please."/

Minako arrived at the Emperor's side and bowed deeply toward him before eyeing the young golden-haired boy also sitting at the table. At the sight of the warrior woman, Squire Plisetsky sat up a bit straighter and unconsciously brought a hand to defensively cover his man parts.

/"I see he has managed to survive his meal with you. Impressive."/

/"He has kept me far too entertained to hold any ill will toward him. I haven't laughed this hard in ages."/

/"I expect a full report later, Your Majesty."/

The Emperor laughed.

/"You shall have it. Now, what news has brought you to me Minako San?"/

/"We captured an assassin from the Ice Dragon Magic Clan snooping around the encampment earlier and captured her without incident. She was discovered to be one of the members of the group our golden-haired friend here was with. I do not believe she poses a threat. I believe she was seeking to confirm if he was dead or alive. She must have tracked him to our camp."/

Emperor Katsuki reached for one of the fans tucked into his obi and removed it. He always tapped a closed fan on his chin whenever he was deep in thought.

/"She is being housed in a tent right now, I presume?"/

/"Correct, Your Highness. She has also informed me that she has a somewhat unpredictable and irrational brother currently out looking for her. I believe this is the second disturbance we experienced not too long ago."/

Before the Emperor could speak, the young Squire suddenly lifted off his haunches and pointed at the warrior woman.

"That's Sara's belt! Those are her weapons! Is Sara here? May I see her?"

Minako held up her hands at the young man.

"Yes, she is here and she is safe. We caught her snooping around looking for you earlier and brought her in. The Emperor will decide if you get to see her or not."

Squire Plisetsky looked pleadingly at the Emperor and bowed toward him.

"Please Your Majesty, I really wish to meet with Sara."

Minako raised an eyebrow quizzically at the Emperor.

/"He's being so nice and polite, what the hell did you do to him?"/

The Emperor opened the fan with a slight click of the wrist, hiding the bottom half of his face as he did so. The young squire flinched perceptibly at the sight and sat back down on the cushions.

/"I may have implied that he was going to die. But honestly, I think it was the wasabi that did it."/

Minako was completely baffled. She had no idea what the Emperor was referring to, but was pretty sure she's drag it out him later.

/"I…see."/

The Emperor chuckled as he closed his fan and put it back in his obi.

"Yes young man, you may see your assassin friend. If you are finished with your meal, a servant will come to take you there."

The young squire downed the rest of his amazake in one gulp and excused himself before standing.

/"Minako San, increase the number of guards around the camp. Something feels…strange. My magic seems to be reaching out and resonating with something that is rapidly approaching us. Be on high alert. I have never experienced this before and I am not sure what it is exactly that is heading here. We should be prepared for anything."/

/"As you wish."/

/"I will give the young Squire and the assassin woman thirty minutes to reacquaint themselves before heading over there to meet with them personally. Please make the necessary preparations."/

/"Yes, Your Majesty."/

The Shinobi bowed deeply to her Emperor and left the room without making a single sound.

…

A pair of inquisitive green eyes watched silently from the underbrush as King Nikiforov rode by on his horse with General Altin and Lancer Nekola. The little fox's eyes shone like emeralds, tail slightly twitching in anticipation as it remained absolutely silent. _I must inform the humans._ With one final tail twitch, it turned on its heels and seemed to blend into the foliage, disappearing from sight.

…

At the Ice Dragon Camp, Michele was overseeing its setup. His eyes roved the area incessantly, searching for any opening. Sharp eyes seized upon an opportunity. Once he was sure that everyone was sufficiently occupied, he stepped back into the shadows, blending in seamlessly with them. He was gone in a heartbeat, and by the time they'd realize he was gone, it would already be too late. Not that they would be able to do much about it either. _Sara, I'm coming to get you!_

…

Mila felt the magic draining from her more quickly than before. She was dangerously pushing her limits, of that she was well aware. If Lilia were here, she would be absolutely appalled. _Well, good thing she isn't, then._ She fought to keep her exhaustion and wear from the ever-perceptive Fujimoto. She would not allow herself to rest until she delivered the message to the King.

"How long till we make landfall, Fujimoto?"

The royal guard brought the telescope to his eye and scanned the horizon.

"We are making great time, Princess Sama. We should be pulling into our docks in less than an hour. You might want to let your helpers know that the ocean depth near the dock becomes suddenly and drastically shallow. We wouldn't want them harming themselves or becoming beached. Our Lignum Magi can step in and help the guide the ship the rest of the way when we come to that point."

"Thank you for letting me know, Fujimoto."

Mila leaned on the ledge of the boat, crossing her arms so that she could better hide how white her knuckles were. Digging her fingernails into her palm was the only way to keep herself conscious, the pain giving her something to focus on. Two hours of sleep weren't nearly enough to get her rested nor allow her magic to recover. The food had helped a lot but she felt ridiculously weak. _I just have to hang in there until Viktor gets the message. I pray to thee, oh elven god Naralis Analor. Heal me just enough and soothe my pain just a bit longer so I may finish my duty._

…

Emperor Katsuki was on his way to the tent currently housing the two Ice Dragons. He wondered if the fates were testing him somehow, suddenly putting all these dragons in his path when no other predecessor had ever made contact. He breathed a heavy sigh. All these distractions were keeping him from the original purpose of his visit; eradicating the demon colony on the island before it became fully established and started to grow. While he was embroiled in a potential diplomatic nightmare, the demons were off gathering strength. He looked up to the heavens and sighed once more. I'm sure the kami must have some greater purpose in mind.

"Emperor Katsuki, please wait!"

The Emperor turned to the source of the voice and saw Yuuko running toward him as fast as she could.

"Yuuko San, are you well? Have you recovered from the young Squire's unwanted contact?"

"Yes Your Majesty, I'm fine. More importantly Sire, I have news from Momiji."

The Emperor turned his body to face the young Hanyou Kitsune and gave her his full attention.

"What news does she have Yuuko San?"

"There are three men currently headed toward our camp. Two on horseback and one on foot. She says they…smell similar to the squire, Your Majesty."

The Emperor brought a hand up to cover his face and groaned.

"Let me guess, more dragons."

Yuuko shot her childhood friend a sympathetic look. He suddenly had a lot on his plate.

"It would appear so, Your Majesty."

"Have we had any news from Minami or Fujimoto? They should have arrived in Occidentis early this morning."

"No Sire, there has been no news. Azami has not made his way back to us."

"I see. I hope that they are well and have not encountered any difficulties."

"I'm sure that they are fine, Your Majesty. They are both highly skilled and quite capable."

The Emperor stepped forward and opened the tent flap to the telltale sound of flesh striking flesh.

 ***SLAP***

"You selfish, irresponsible, immature brat! How DARE you disobey a direct order and run off on your own!"

The young squire stood speechless in the middle of the tent, his head hung low.

The Emperor and Yuuko shared a knowing look between them and kept their distance as the young assassin carried on.

"You could have gotten yourself killed! In fact, you almost did! Were you incapable of thinking about, or just indifferent to the consequences your actions would set in motion? What would have become of our kingdom had you perished?"

"m…-ry."

"What's that? Speak up! You're quite good at running your mouth, don't tell me your words have suddenly failed you now."

A small and weak voice filled the tent. "I'm…sorry. I'm SO, so sorry."

The young assassin seemed taken aback by the squire's apology. She looked down past the curtain of golden hair hiding his face and saw that tears were flowing freely down onto the floor. She let out a shaky sigh and stepped forward, pulling the young man into a tight embrace. The young squire's arms came up to wrap themselves around the woman's waist and he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder. Heaving sobs wracked his small frame and he trembled in her arms.

"You're one severely lucky little shit, you know that?"

Sara sighed heavily before lowering them both onto the ground. She held the young squire in her lap and stroked his hair.

"The poison must have been really scary and painful, hmm?"

The young squire nodded against her shoulder without looking up. When Sara looked up, she finally noticed that she had company.

"Oh! My deepest apologies, I didn't see you there! I'm sorry you had to see that. Sometimes a little 'tough love' is needed. Especially with knuckleheads like this one."

She brought a hand to his head and gently tapped it with her knuckled fist. The young man pulled himself closer to her and further buried his face in her shoulder.

The man stepped forward.

"Greetings, I am Emperor Katsuki of Orientalis. It is a pleasure to have you with us. I apologize for the circumstances that brought you to us. I hope the meal we've provided has eased your discomfort somewhat."

When Sara moved to stand, the Emperor held up his hand.

"Please, remain as you are. There's no need to stand at this time."

Sara did her best to bow to the Emperor with an armful of squire, and settled for lowering her head as respectfully as she could.

"It's no trouble, Your Majesty. Thank you for your hospitality, I have felt very welcome here. Thank you also for saving Squire Plisetsky's life. We are forever indebted to your kindness."

When she looked up again, she noticed a woman standing next to the man.

"Hello, I'm Sara Crispino." Something twitched behind the woman, distracting her briefly. "It's nice to meet…," two somethings twitched on top of the woman's head. Sara's eyes darted back and forth as she took in what her brain was telling her wasn't possible. _Holy shit! She has fox ears and a tail! Keep it together Sara, breathe, don't gawk, say something!_ Sara cleared her throat and smiled her most dazzling smile.

"Nice to meet you! Oh-my-god-you're-the-most-beautiful-thing-I've-ever-seen!"

Sara winced inwardly. _Smooth Sara, really smooth._

The fox woman giggled, making an adorable musical sound as the laughter escaped her parted lips. Sara's eyes grew wide at the sound. _Oh-my-god-she's-too-fucking-adorable._

"Hi, I'm Yuuko Nishigori. I'm a Hanyou Kitsune; half-fox, half-human hybrid. Nice to meet you too, Sara Crispino. Thank you for the compliment! You're very kind."

Emperor Katsuki did his best to hide his amusement as he addressed the young assassin.

"Miss Crispino, I'm sorry to make demands of you during this emotional time, but we have been informed that there are three more Ice Dragons approaching the camp."

Sara was visibly startled by this and even the young squire lifted his head to stare at them in shock with his red puffy eyes and even redder hand print on his face.

"Do you have a description of them by any chance? May I speak to the witness?"

Yuuko's tail swished around as she looked to be embarrassed about something.

"Ah…the witness…she's…only I can understand what she says."

Sara nodded.

"No problem. I can just ask the questions and you can pass the answers on to me."

Yuuko smiled a secretive smile.

"Ok then! Momiji, you can come in now."

Sara's eyes were looking up, expecting to see a human or some sort of humanoid step into the tent. She was NOT expecting to see the cutest and most adorable _oh-my-god-it-looks-so-damn-soft_ fox kit ever walk in instead. I am going to have a heart attack before this day is over. She tried not to gape shamelessly at them, but failed miserably. Yuuko smiled and tried to prompt her gently.

"Um, what question would you like to ask?"

Sara shook her head to clear her mind.

"Yes, of course. Ah…Momiji is it? Could you tell me more about the horses you saw? What color were they?"

The little kit barked its answers at Yuuko and Sara could have literally died from the cuteness of it all. _If I DO have a heart attack…I can die happy knowing that the cause of death was cuteness overload. I can be at peace with that._

"She says one horse was quite beautiful, shiny silver hair and black tail and mane. The other horse was very, very big and black."

Sara and the young squire shared a look of apprehension.

The Emperor was suddenly very much on edge.

"What is it? Who do those horses belong to?"

Sara tried and failed to swallow the growing lump in her throat.

"Those horses could only belong to two very specific people; King Nikiforov and his General Otabek Altin. It would appear Your Majesty, that the King of the Ice Dragons is on his way to personally greet you."

…

Mila had thanked her ocean friends for their assistance and had directed them to shoal of tasty fish nearby. The Orientalis Lignum Magi had taken over as promised and had promptly guided the ship smoothly onto the dock. Legs a bit wobbly from being on the sea for so long, Mila stumbled forward, but was thankfully caught by a very attentive Minami, who happened to the closest one to her at the time.

"Don't worry Princess Sama, Minami is here to catch you!"

Mila had to giggle at the cute way Minami always spoke about himself in the third person. That must be an Orientalis thing.

"Thank you, Minami. You're so dependable!"

Minami blushed fiercely at the compliment and had to excuse himself from her presence before he said or did something embarrassing. Fujimoto unloaded the Emperor's horse and motioned for her to get on. Too tired to complain, Mila simply smiled and thanked the man for his considerate gesture. A loud screech from above brought everyone's attention to Azami, who was flying overhead, waiting for a command. Minami waved up at him and whistled.

"Go ahead Azami! Fly home to your master!"

The majestic bird took off in the direction of the camp and pretty soon disappeared into the horizon. Mila introduced herself to Fujimoto's horse, and the horse in turn introduced herself as Shirayuki. She made sure to let Mila know that she was in fact, the Emperor's best horse and was simply on loan to Minami. Mila laughed as she scratched behind the horse's ears. She's very proud of her position this one. It must be quite an honor to be the Emperor's best horse. She kindly asked Shirayuki to take her to her Emperor as quickly as her legs could comfortably carry her. It was very important and they had to hurry. The horse whinnied her agreement and they were soon off on a gallop. Fujimoto and Minami ran along beside her, leaving the servants ad staff behind to unload the ship.

...

Michele climbed up the tree with the best view of the camp's entrance, and waited. He would bide his time and force himself to be patient for as long as long as it took

...

The Phoenix Clan camp erupted in a flurry of activity. Emperor Katsuki asked that a horse be prepared for him to mount as soon as possible. He called Minako and Yuuko to him and explained that they would be accompanying him outside to wait for the King's arrival. He wanted there to be an even amount of people on both sides. He did not wish to send the wrong message by having greater numbers or any armed royal guards with them. His guards had attempted to talk him out of allowing himself to be so under protected for such a meeting, and the Emperor had to remind them just exactly WHO the three people attending the meeting were.

"You doubt the ability of Okukawa San and Nishigori San to protect their Emperor? You doubt your Emperor's own ability to protect himself?"

There had been no more protests after that.

...

King Nikiforov and his two escorts were absolutely flabbergasted at the sight before them.

King Nikiforov

"This camp is huge! How long have they been here and why am I only finding out about this now?"

General Altin addressed the King. "We have not previously explored this island, Your Highness. This recon mission is the first one we have ever sent here. It is neutral territory open to both Occidentis and Orientalis."

"I see."

King Nikiforov cautiously pulled his horse to a stop near what he assumed was the main gate. His horse was suddenly nervous and seemed to be affected by something nearby.

"Do not draw your weapons. I wish to see if we can first approach them peacefully. Let's not make any enemies unless absolutely necessary. Do NOT act without my explicit consent. Are we clear?"

The two other male voiced sounded off in chorus.

"Yes, Your Highness."

...

Mila could barely keep her eyes open as she held the horse's reins. She was so close, she could feel it. A voice screamed in her head and she jolted straight up, looking around for the source of the voice.

 **Woman! Non-human female!**

It was Azami, the Emperor's eagle.

What is it, Azami friend?

 **An armed human hides in the trees. I sense great malice.**

Oh, no! No, no, no...this can't be happening! Shirayuki friend, please run as fast as you can. I promise you some tasty apples for your hard work later. Just please...please run like the wind!

The horse whinnied happily and took off at top speed, leaving two very puzzled and concerned men in her dust as she did so.

 **I shall show you now, human...exactly WHY I am the Emperor's best horse.**

...

Emperor Katsuki rode side saddle out of the camp on a white horse. He was flanked by Yuuko on his right and Minako on his left. As he came out of the gate, he saw that the three Ice Dragons had already arrived. He cursed inwardly for not already being outside when they arrived. He first noticed the beautiful silver horse Momiji had spoken of. Indeed, the horse was a stunning creature of magnificent beauty. As his eyes traveled higher, he had to admit to its rider being a creature that surpassed all standards of beauty. The man had a silver mane to rival that of the horse he was seated upon and eyes that shone the color of the sea. He quickly scanned the other two men. The one on foot was clearly a highly trained guard based on his posture alone and the way he carried himself. He appeared to be a lance user. The one on the large black war horse was stoic and stony-faced. His expression gave away nothing. Both parties stayed on their own side, as if separated by an invisible line, each cautiously waiting for the other to make the first move.

...

Michele's eyes saw red. He saw a woman, clearly also some kind of assassin, with Sara's weapon belt on her hip. _That bitch! She killed Sara and is out prancing around with her weapon belt like...some kind of trophy!_ Furious, he reached for his most poisonous kunai. He was a master knife user and thrower. His aim was always true and he had never missed a target. _You're going to regret fucking with the Crispino family, whore!_

...

Emperor Katsuki was about to lead his horse forward when he saw Minako tense up and look sharply to a nearby tree. He knew that look better than anyone. An enemy had been spotted. His heart sank and he felt such overwhelming disappointment that it almost brought him to tears. Had this meeting been a setup all along? Had the Ice Dragons planned on ambushing them even though he had clearly stated that the young Squire Plisetsky would be under his full protection? Had he grossly miscalculated things and were the Ice Dragons as mindlessly barbaric as the rumors claimed them to be?

He felt Minako's power flare up. The amount of power she could wield at any given point correlated directly to the level of threat and animosity being directed toward her. Whoever was in that tree was currently having some rather serious murder thoughts toward her. He hadn't seen such power flow forth from her like that in ages. A shriek of pain and scream of pure rage was heard from the tree as a weapon fell to the ground. The commotion drew the attention of the three Ice Dragons, and they seemed to be arguing among themselves. Emperor Katsuki was puzzled. If they had intended to attack and ambush them, why did they look as surprised as he did over the whole thing? The Ice Dragons finally started to move forward and the Emperor tensed up. He placed his hand on the hilt of his katana, ready for anything.

Suddenly, a huge flock of crows swooped down into the space between the two clans, cawing loudly, their flapping wings sending loose feathers flying about and causing everyone to shield their faces. A blur of white and red flew by and Emperor Katsuki did a double take. _Shirayuki?! Why is Shirayuki here and who the hell is that riding her?!_ The woman currently riding the Emperor's horse came to a stop before the king of the Ice Dragons, and sliding off her horse. King Nikiforov immediately recognized the woman and dismounted his horse.

"Mila?! Mila, what the hell are you doing here? Whose clothes are those? Whose horse is that?"

The elven princess reached for her bosom and pulled out a piece of paper. She looked unsteady on her feet and was breathing hard, each breath coming out raspier and raspier.

"Read...it."

"Mila, what is this? Are you alright?"

"NOW."

Viktor opened the piece of paper and gasped. He looked back and forth between the paper, Mila and the members of the Phoenix Clan waiting a few meters away.

"My...duty...is...done."

Mila's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped forward. Viktor barely reacted in time, but was able to catch her and scoop her up into his arms. He looked the woman's face over and was shocked by what he saw. She was pale, so pale that it appeared her veins were bloodless. She was cold and clammy and did not look well at all.

"Mila? Mila, please wake up. Don't you dare do this to me, Mila! Mila!"

Emperor Katsuki felt a hand gripping his leg, fingernails digging into his flesh painfully. He looked down and saw a very distressed Yuuko, tears streaming down her face.

"Yuuko? What...?"

Yuuko looked up at him, a pleadingly desperate look in her eyes.

"Yuuri...Yuuri...she's dying!"

 **_terminology_**

Amazake - is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or alcohol-free Japanese drink made from fermented rice.

koji mold - is a filamentous fungus (a mold) used in Japan to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and fermented bean paste (including miso), and also to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake and shochu.

Naralis Analor (Dungeons and Dragons): a minor elven god associated with healing, easing of pain, and death.

Shirayuki 白雪 (Japanese): Snow White


	21. A Selfless Act

"Minako San, apprehend the attacker in that tree. Have him confined and put two guards on him."

The Shinobi nodded once and then was gone.

"Come Yuuko, we must inform them!"

Emperor Katsuki jumped off his horse and picked his haori off the ground before running toward the King and his guards. The two men stepped in front of their King in a defensive formation as he approached, so he raised his hands with open palms facing toward them.

"I am not armed and I do not wish you any harm."

It was then he heard the strained voice of the King behind them.

"Stand down General Altin, Lancer Nekola."

The two men lowered their weapons and stepped aside.

"Your Majesty, as much as I would like to have a proper introduction and welcome befitting of your status, at this time we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Yuuko was right beside him then, her eyes full of sadness as she eyed the unconscious woman in the King's arms. She lowered her head and bowed toward the King.

All three Ice Dragons were very much aware that there was a woman with fox ears and tail standing before them, but managed to refrain from gawping at her because they were true gentlemen. They would hopefully have the opportunity to address the issue later.

"Yuuko Nishigori at your service, Your Majesty. The lady is suffering from magic toxicity. She won't live much longer unless we do something about it immediately."

The King's face fell when he heard the words 'magic toxicity.'

"Oh Mila, you would push yourself that far?"

"I know we've just met Your Majesty, but I am the one who brought Squire Plisetsky back from the brink of death. I promise to do everything in my power for the lady."

King Nikiforov's face lit up with determination as the muscles in his jaw tightened and he clenched his teeth.

"Understood. Emperor Katsuki, if you would?"

He handed the unconscious red-haired woman to the Emperor, who cradled her gently in his arms like a precious treasure. The King smiled briefly at the sight before mounting his horse and then holding his arms out. The Emperor lifted the lady into the King's outstretched arms. He then removed his beautifully embroidered outer robe (haori) and used it to cover her. The King's eyes widened in surprise. Such gestures of chivalry and goodwill were quite rare these days, especially from a ruler; someone who was expected to keep himself above others. The Emperor then whistled loudly and the white horse Mila came riding in on came galloping back toward them at full speed. The King's jaw nearly hit the ground. I have questions...SO many questions.

"Follow me, Your Majesty. Your guards as well."

The Emperor then took off running, long and lustrous black hair flowing behind him in a cascade of ebony. As the horse pulled up alongside him, he grabbed on to its mane, hopped twice and then mounted it in one smooth action. As much awe as he felt in that moment, the King didn't have the time to be impressed. That would have to come later. So he nudged his horse gently with his heels and took off in a gallop after the Emperor, holding on tightly to his precious cargo.

Yuuko was about to go after them on foot when she saw a hand being extended out to her. She looked up and saw that it belonged to one of the King's guards; the one with the black horse.

"I am General Otabek Altin. I wish to be of assistance to Lady Nishigori."

The young Hanyou Kitsune smiled gratefully at the man.

"Thank you General Altin!"

She grabbed hold of his hand and he pulled her up effortlessly behind him. Soon they were following the two monarchs into the camp.

Emil Nekola mounted the horse the Emperor had originally ridden to their meeting and joined the others.

…

The Emperor was the first one to arrive. He dismounted Shirayuki skillfully and immediately got to work organizing everyone and giving them all tasks. First, he handed the reins to a nearby attendant.

"Tanaka San, please take Shirayuki to the stable and inform them to cool her down extra well and give her extra rations. She's been run quite hard."

The Emperor patted the horse's neck and placed a kiss on her muzzle.

"You've done me proud, Shirayuki. You've put forth an effort worthy of the Emperor's Best Horse."

The horse whinnied happily and shook its head. Emperor Katsuki turned to face Tanaka San once more.

"Ask three stable hands to come here as soon as possible. Hakaku is returning and we have two more guest horses. Please ask them to wait here for our return."

"Yes, Emperor Katsuki Sama!"

"Kobayashi San, Okukawa San has captured an insurgent just outside the main gates. Please assist her and support her any way she deems necessary."

"As you wish, Emperor Katsuki Sama!"

"Nakamura San, please inform the serving staff that we have three more very important guests. Have them prepare a variety of beverages and snacks. Set up a table and seating outdoors within sight of the medical tent. We don't want them to feel like they are being confined and this way they'll also be able to keep an eye out for their King."

"Right away Emperor Katsuki Sama!"

As the King arrived at the camp, Emperor Katsuki ran up to him and held out his arms. The King carefully lowered Mila into the Emperor's waiting arms and dismounted. A stable hand was immediately by his side, asking him if he could take his horse to their stable. The King nodded and thanked the attendant. The Emperor began walking quickly toward a tent that was nearby, the King hot on his heels. Just before entering the tent, he caught sight of General Altin and Lancer Nekola pulling into the camp, but he simply didn't have time to stop and give them orders and kept walking. Soon, the fox woman, Lady Nishigori, was in the tent with them. She immediately ran to Mila's side and knelt down beside her. She held her hands a few inches above the elven Princess' body, palms facing down, and closed her eyes. Her hands became encased in a bright blue glow and her eyes scrunched closed as Mila's body began to glow the same color. Suddenly, the blue glue around Mila became an ominous black mist and Lady Nishigori was blasted backward by an invisible force. The Emperor was by her side in an instant.

"Yuuko! Are you alright? What happened?"

The fox woman seemed a bit shaken but otherwise fine. She stood back up and fixed the Emperor with an anguished stare.

"Yuur-...Your Majesty, this case is extremely severe. As you are aware, magic toxicity results from a mage tapping into their ki; or life energy to fuel their magic once their mana runs out. Their body fights the drain and starts seeing the body's own magic as poison. The poison levels rise exponentially with however much ki is used. She has so much poison inside her body that it exceeds my power's ability to purify it."

A sound of pure grief escaped the King's lips as he covered his face and fell to his knees."

"No, not you too Mila. Please don't leave me!"

Emperor's Katsuki could feel his heart breaking at the King's sorrow. Such sadness and despair did not suit him. He knew there and then, that as long as the sun rose in the east, he would do everything it took to keep such feelings from the King. He pulled the tasuki from his obi and held one end of it between his teeth as he wrapped it around his left elbow, behind his neck and then down the front of the right side of his body and back around the right elbow. Then he brought the tasuki back around behind his neck and released the end from between his teeth. He then tied the ends together in a bow at his left shoulder.

"I shall perform the purification myself, then. My power will be more than enough."

The King's head snapped up and he looked at him with such hope in his eyes that it only further solidified his resolve.

Yuuko stepped in close so she could speak with him without being overheard.

"Yuuri, you haven't been trained properly for this yet. You're not aware of how to control the flow of your power in non-demons and could potentially use too much. I know you won't harm her, Yuuri. I am much more concerned about the strain it will pace on your body."

The Emperor smiled down gently at his troubled friend and subject.

"I'm aware of the risks, Yuuko. But I will have you here with me at my side. Just talk me through it and tell me when I am using too much. This is something only I can do. I won't stand by idly and let the woman die when I have the power to save her. You can clearly see how important she is to him."

Yuuko could not deny the truth in the Emperor's statements. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. Let's get started, we don't have much more time left."

The Emperor turned to address the King directly.

"King Nikiforov, I will now begin the purification process to rid Lady Mila's body of the toxins that are poisoning her. I ask that you stand by the tent's entrance and not allow anyone to enter. Do not leave your post, do not approach or touch any of us during the process. This will most likely cause some slight discomfort to the Lady, but I assure you that she will be fine. Do you understand?"

The King stood up and dusted off his pants and smoothed out his cape before nodding in agreement and moving to stand at the tent's entrance.

The Emperor moved to stand at the foot of the bed and Yuuko moved to stand behind him. The Emperor's voice, although not overly loud, suddenly seemed to fill the entire space.

"I call upon the Goddess Elianna, Queen of the Gods, and mother of fire."

The Emperor raised both arms and pressed his palms together in a gesture of prayer.

"May I bring forth the blessing of the Phoenix!"

When the Emperor pulled his hands apart, the entire room filled with a reddish-orange light and a soothing heat. The King had brought an arm up to shield himself from the bright light and when he brought it back down, he gasped softly at the sight before him.

The Emperor's body seemed engulfed in flames that did not burn him. His eyes blazed the color of fire and it almost appeared as if there were living flames dancing within them.

Lady Nishigori leaned in and seemed to be assisting with the process.

"Temper your flames, Yuuri. Show me the most spiritual ones you can muster."

Slowly, the orange, red and yellow hues darkened and flickered into various shades of purple before becoming a unified sky-blue tone.

The King was absolutely transfixed by the sight. He had never seen such flames before, they were magnificent.

"Reach out to the woman's body and wrap her in your flames."

The flames at the tips of the Emperor's fingers flickered slightly before freeing themselves and shooting outward to encompass Mila's body.

"Good, Yuuri. Now, find the black energy in her body and imagine your flames burning it all away."

Inside the Emperor's mind, he could envision his flames eagerly seeking out the poison in the woman's body. It tried to run from his fire, causing it to force its way out of the woman in a desperate attempt at self-preservation. The woman's mouth snapped open with a pained shriek and then her eyes flew open. Black energy began pouring thickly out of them into the air. Alarmed, the King almost rushed forward but forced himself to stand his ground. He had agreed to place his trust in their abilities. General Altin's concerned voice was soon heard from the other side of the tent flap.

"Your Majesty, is everything alright?

"Yes General Altin, I'm fine. Do not enter, stand guard and do not let anyone else enter either."

"Understood."

Yuuko reached out with her own power and used it to contain the energy seeping out of the woman so that it did not escape out into the world and poison others.

"Slowly Yuuri, pull back a bit. Gently nudge the energy out, not drive it out."

The Emperor grit his teeth as he tried to rein in the flow of energy, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and at the back of his neck with the effort. It took a calm and cool mind to wield fire, it was why his family was chosen to do so. Any other individual would have been completely consumed by its power instead of being able to manipulate it for any given purpose. He took a deep breath and centered himself, willing the flames into submission.

"Good, Yuuri. Keep that up until you don't feel any more poison left in her body."

The Emperor did as instructed, pushing his flames through slowly and thoroughly until he knew there was none left.

"Now Yuuri, eradicate the poison contained in my flames."

The Emperor's flaming eyes narrowed at the floating black cloud floating in the air contained in a ball of Yuuko's fire. His flames flared up once more, returning to their original tones of burnt orange and crimson. Flames flickered together to form the shape of a phoenix, and it shot out toward the ball of black energy. It tore through the ball like an arrow fired from a bow. The ball exploded in a burst of light, leaving behind glittering particles of white light that drifted softly back down toward the unconscious woman and seemed to be absorbed back into her body. Color returned to her cheeks and she appeared to be resting more peacefully.

"Beautiful, Yuuri. Now pull your power back in, relinquish it slowly."

Emperor Katsuki withdrew his flames back into himself and tried to cede the power evenly, but the previous actions had left him feeling strained and exhausted. Combined with his inexperience with spiritual purification, it resulted in him releasing the power too abruptly. It left him feeling incredibly lightheaded and dizzy. He lowered his arms slowly, fighting bravely to keep his balance and not let on how affected he was.

"Yuuri, are you alright?"

Yuuko...right...I can't let her see...I can't let her know...He spoke as firmly and clearly as he could.

"Yes Yuuko, I'm fine. Go, prepare the recovery potion. I'll be fine."

The woman seemed to hesitate.

King Nikiforov had the advantage of seeing the Emperor's face and could tell that he was not fine. He knew that look all too well; the look of someone who was desperately trying to keep it together and be brave for someone else. He decided to step in.

"Lady Nishigori, I'm sorry to intrude, but I must speak urgently with the Emperor. Would you kindly be able to take leave and give us some time to discuss important matters?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but the Emperor spoke first.

"I accept the King's request, please leave us."

"As you wish, Emperor Katsuki Sama."

As soon as he heard the sound of the tent flap rustling closed, the Emperor swayed unsteadily on his feet and began to fall forward. Rather than meeting the ground as he had been expecting, however, he felt himself instead falling into a soft, warm and solid mass. Something strong wrapped around his waist, holding him steady. With great effort, he lifted his head, his sleepy eyes blinking tiredly up at the concerned blue eyes of the King.

"Worry not, I've got you. Can you walk? There's a chair nearby."

The Emperor nodded weakly and stumbled toward the chair, supported by the King's firm arm. He was lowered down smoothly into it and sat slumped awkwardly until some pillows were placed under his head and he was arranged into a more comfortable position. The Emperor wanted so badly to speak to the King, but his brain was all foggy and he couldn't see make his mouth move like he wanted it to.

"S'...lpy."

"I understand. Rest now, Emperor Katsuki. I'll keep watch over you."

Exhausted way past his threshold of consciousness, the Emperor finally gave in to the overwhelming fatigue and slept.

King Nikiforov's heart swelled with indescribable feeling as he looked down tenderly at the sleeping monarch. Such bravery and sacrifice for someone he's never met before. He was willing to expend his power and exhaust himself for Mila, without caring if she was a peasant or a royal. He had the means to help, and so did without hesitation. He did not balk at the inconvenience nor the fact that this kind of purification was beyond his normal scope of duty. The King leaned in closer and examined the Emperor's features carefully. His visage was so incredibly peaceful, rosy lips slightly parted to allow soft breaths to escape them. His features were so much more delicate than those of the men from Occidentis, clearly distinguishing him as a native of Orientalis.

The King's attention was then drawn to the long black hair that had so thoroughly caught his attention earlier. He removed the glove from his right hand and took some loose strands into it to examine them up close. The hair was very healthy, shiny and softer than silk. The King sighed sadly, for it made him long for the days when he also had long hair. I wonder what it would look like hanging loose about his shoulders. His eyes roved higher, taking in the long and graceful neck, and angular jaw mired by unblemished skin. It took all his self-control to keep himself from bringing his palm to the inviting expanse of skin. He noticed that an errant strand of hair had fallen over one of the Emperor's eyes. Without thinking, he reached over to brush it away. As his skin made contact with that of the Emperor's, an electrifying sensation sparked at the site of contact, sending tendrils of pure unadulterated yearning coiling down and around his spine. He jerked his hand away with a gasp and took a step away from the unconscious man. The Emperor's lashes fluttered briefly and a soft sigh escaped his lips. The King looked back and forth between his hand and the Emperor. What the hell was **that**?!

…

"Get your hands off me, you murderous bitch!"

Minako and the guard that had been sent out to assist her dragged an infuriated and hobbled assassin into camp. They took him to the far corner, away from the main tents, and put him in the stocks to restrain him. Once he was locked in, Minako was approached by the two King's guards. A dark-haired man in Occidentis-style armor stepped in close and proceeded to introduce himself and his companion to her. Minako, in turn, introduced herself to him as well. General Altin looked disdainfully at the assassin in stocks.

"Is this the attacker who was in the tree? You are certain?"

"Yes General Altin, it is. I know because his hands are burned as a result of my power. I made his weapon a little too hot to handle. That's what fell out of the tree."

Minako pulled a cloth bundle from a bag at her hip. She carefully unwrapped it and showed the poison kunai to the General.

"Does this look familiar?"

The General sighed heavily.

"Yes, it does."

He turned to the man currently thrashing and cursing from the stocks.

"Michele Crispino, you were ordered by the King to stay at the camp and oversee its setup. Explain yourself."

"This...this woman killed Sara! Look at her, she's wearing her weapon belt! These people are all barbarians. I bet they killed Squire Plisetsky, too!"

 **/"..."/ Denotes Iaponica speech**

/"Kobayashi San, please bring our two foreign guests here, immediately."/

/"Yes, Okukawa San."/

The one named Michele grew more fractious when he heard the murderous woman speaking in her native tongue.

"I bet she just told them to kill us all! She's dangerous, we've got to get out of here!"

"Dio mio, che diavolo è questo?!"

Everyone turned around to see Sara Crispino standing next to Squire Plisetsky, a look of pure horror on her face.

Michele Crispino looked up with pure shock in his eyes.

"Sara?! You're alive?"

"Oh, no! Michele...what have you done?"

 **_terminology_**

haori (Japanese) - is a traditional Japanese hip- or thigh-length kimono-style jacket, worn over a kosode.

Hakaku (Japanese) – white crane; the name of the other horse Emperor Katsuki rode.

tasuki (Japanese) - a sort of sash that is used to hold up the sleeves on a kimono.

 **How to use a tasuki**

watch?time_continue=41&v=qs6y2gOfQfI

hobble – to tie or strap together (the legs of a horse or other animal) to prevent it from straying

Dio mio (Italian) – Oh my god

Che diavolo è questo (Italian) – what the hell is this?


	22. A Tortured Soul

Sara stood rooted to the spot, her face frozen in a mask of horror. It registered in the back of her mind somewhere that her twin brother was in stocks, and that as much as it shocked her, it was even more shocking that she also realized that she had known it would come down to this someday. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to salute the two members of the royal guard.

"General Altin, Lancer Nekola, I take it you had a safe trip to the island?"

"Yes Ms. Crispino, our journey was uneventful."

"May I know what the charges against my brother are?"

Michele Crispino

"He stands charged with insubordination, treason and attempted murder."

Sara blanched, all color draining suddenly from her face. She swayed unsteadily on her feet as she clutched at her stomach. A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up at the concerned blue eyes of Emil Nekola.

"Sara, are you alright?"

Sara's eyes welled up with tears and she shook her head. Lancer Nekola breathed a heavy sigh before taking Sara into his arms and holding her in a tight embrace as he gently stroked her hair."

"Get your filthy hands off my sister! Don't you dare fucking touch her like she means something to you! Sara is mine, no one else's!"

Sara flinched at her brother's angry words, which only served to push her further into Nekola's embrace.

Minako rolled her eyes at the poor excuse of a man currently writhing angrily against his restraints. She tore off a piece of her tattered scarf and used it to gag the loudmouthed assassin. He glared daggers at her as he struggled more violently, hands clawing at the air and straining to gain any kind of purchase on the assassin woman's person. She stood just out of reach, both hands on her hips as she stared down approvingly at her handiwork.

"There. Now that's what I call a marked improvement."

Michele Crispino's muffled cries filled the air along with the sounds of the stocks rattling from his savage thrashing.

"Now, now Mr. Crispino, be reasonable. If you cannot comport yourself calmly, we will be forced to sedate you."

Well, that only served to infuriate him even more, and he redoubled his efforts.

"Mickey, abbastanza!"

All turned their heads in the direction of the outburst and saw a very irate-looking Sara.

"How long do you plan on perpetuating this shameless and mortifying behavior?"

Michele looked up at his sister with eyes suddenly wide with terror.

"Haven't you already done enough? Be a man, Mickey and take responsibility for your actions. And at least TRY to retain some dignity for the Crispino name. Remember, you are not the only one who will have to carry the burden of a shamed name! For someone who claims to want to protect me, you're doing a fabulous job of dragging me down with you."

"Sorella, io ti amo!"

"Ti piace controllarmi! I've always done my best to keep you safe and protect you from yourself Mickey, but not even god can help you now. Arrivederci, fratello."

Sara turned on her heel and left, pulling Lancer Nekola along with her.

Michele watched, speechless, as his beloved sister turned her back on him and walked away. He hung his head low and a sinister energy suddenly swirled around him. Minako's hairs stood on end and he instincts screamed at her.

"しまった！"

She was on him in a split second, applying pressure at just the right place to render the man unconscious.

Squire Plisetsky and General Altin were by her side equally quickly.

"What the fuck just happened? That energy just now, it was..."

General Altin finished the Squire's sentence.

"...demonic!"

Minako nodded solemnly.

"It would appear that we have a much bigger problem than a brother's obsessive love on our hands. Please stay here and watch over him. I must speak with our healer immediately. She will know what to do."

...

"Fujimoto san? Minami Kun?"

Yuuko couldn't believe her eyes. She was more than a bit surprised to see the two of them running breathless into the camp.

"I thought you would be in Occidentis at this time!"

Fujimoto held up his hand, silently asking the Hanyou Kitsune to wait until he could catch his breath.

Minami was the first to recover. He burst into a rapid-fire explanation that left Yuuko reeling from how fast it was and how many confusing details it contained.

"Greetings Nishigori Yuuko San! We arrived in Occidentis to deliver the message to the King, but the King had just left to come here. Then Princess Sama stopped the guards from attacking us and told us we had to go after the King. Then she used her animal magic to help us return to Mumei No Shima to give the King the message before the King misunderstood that the golden-haired Quagmire boy was safe and under Emperor Katsuki's protection."

He stopped to take in a huge breath before he continued

"And we came back as fast as we could. Princess Sama's magic called whales to the ship and they pushed the ship in the sea! Princess Sama was so amazing, but we think maybe she pushed herself too hard and tired herself out. Did you see Princess Sama, Nishigori San? She is so beautiful with hair like the sunset and cute little pointed ears and..."

Fujimoto was finally able to speak again and decided to step in before the young man talked his tongue into a knot."

"Minami, slow down! I apologize, Nishirogi San. The last eight hours have been rather eventful and many things have happened in a very short time."

Yuuko laughed as waved her hand dismissively at them both.

"Thank you for your concern, Fujimoto San. But as strange as it may seem, it wasn't difficult for me to follow Minami Kun at all! Usually I have three voices all trying to tell me things at the same time. Only having one to follow is immensely refreshing!"

Fujimoto smiled.

"I see, I suppose it would be much easier for someone with daily experience with three chatterboxes to think just onechatterbox would be manageable."

"Minami Kun, it's Squire, not Quadmire. The woman with the red hair is a Princess? And she can...talk to animals?"

Fujimoto stepped in to answer the question.

"Yes, Nishigori San. She is the Princess of a non-human realm called Kyaltaesi. She can communicate with animals. Is she alright? I do not see her anywhere."

"The Princess was suffering from a severe case of magic toxicity when she arrived."

Fujimoto's and Minami's concern was palpable. They stared at Yuuko with anxious eyes.

"She's fine now, worry not. Emperor Katsuki performed the cleansing ritual and she is resting peacefully in the medical tent with the King and the Emperor both watching over her. I actually need to bring this recovery potion over to her immediately."

Yuuko excused herself and was about to head I the direction of the medical tent when she saw Minako running up to her. One look at the woman's face told Yuuko that there was some kind of trouble afoot.

"Yuuko, we have a problem"

Yuuko sighed.

"You mean, another problem? Let me guess, some Ice Dragon needs help immediately?"

Minako laughed as she tapped the tip of her nose.

"Good guess! I have reason to believe that the assassin we captured earlier is infected."

"What?! Surely you must be joking!"

Minako shook her head.

"I wish I was, but I definitely felt demonic energy emanating from him earlier. I just need you to confirm it and then suggest the best course of action."

"Minako, you know that once they start releasing energy it means they're almost at the point of turning. His soul has probably been devoured past the point of no return!"

"Normally, yes, I fully agree with you. There's something different with this one, though. I can't put my finger on it but he doesn't seem mindless and uninhibited like a typical case would be at this stage."

Yuuko brought her thumb and index finger to the bridge of her nose and rubbed at it.

"I haven't finished taking care of the other Ice Dragon emergency yet. She needs her recovery potion.

"Nishigori San! Minami can help! Minami will take the recovery potion and give it to Princess Sama!"

"That's a great idea, Minami Kun! I'll have you take the recovery potion to the medical tent, but please just give it to the King. It seems that the Princess is very dear to him and I imagine that he would like to be a part of her recovery process. You remember the directions for use, yes?"

"Yes, Nishigori San! Minami did not forget!"

Yuuko handed the glass vial carefully to the young servant guard.

"Carefully now, don't spill a single drop!"

"Minami won't let you down!"

The enthusiastic and energetic man took the potion from the Hanyou Kitsune and gingerly made his way over to the medical tent. Bewildered, Yuuko shook her head. She couldn't believe that he still had so much energy left in him after having just been running. She turned her back to the disappearing young man and followed Minako to their captive.

When they arrived, Yuuko saw that the young Squire and the General were standing guard over an unconscious man being held in stocks. The two seemed to be lost in comfortable conversation, but turned to face them when they heard their approach.

"Any new developments?"

The General was the first to respond.

"Negative. He has been unconscious since you left."

"Yuuko, this is Michele Crispino and he is the twin brother of the female assassin we captured earlier in the day. The one that was snooping around just outside the main gate."

"How has he been manifesting?"

"It appears that he has an unhealthy obsessive love for his sister."

Yuuko frowned.

"Hmm, that's like ambrosia to a demon. The darker the emotions and thoughts, the more delicious the soul."

Yuuko brought her thumb and index finger to her mouth and whistled. Within seconds, Momiji was at her feet.

"Hey there girl, I need your help. Can you take a look at this human here and let me know what you see?"

Momiji barked happily a few times before carefully approaching the unconscious assassin. As she stared at the man, her eyes glowed brightly and became enveloped in a blue glow. All were caught off-guard when the little fox kit's hackles suddenly raised and it straight up growled at the man. Momiji backed away from him and hid behind Yuuko's legs.

"Well, that went about as badly as it possibly could," said Yuuko, as she rubbed at her temples.

"What do you mean?" Asked the General.

"At some point in his life, this young man became overcome by such dark and resentful thoughts that a demon made its way into his heart. He's just about at the point where he'll lose his last vestiges of humanity and morph into one. Whatever was keeping him in check before just about vanished and the floodgates are about to open up unless we do something about it."

…

"King Nikiforov San! I am Kenjiro Minami. I bring the medicine for Princess Sama!"

Minami waited patiently at the entrance of the medical tent for the King to come out and take the recovery potion from him.

When the tent flap opened and the King stepped out, Minami couldn't keep his eyes from bugging out of his head.

"Wuuuuuaaaaahhhhh! King Nikiforov is so handsome and wears such elegant clothes! Minami has never seen eyes the color of the sea or hair the color of silver before! Minami is so very happy to meet you Mr. King Sama!"

The King was nearly bowled over by the amount of excitable energy radiating from the young man in front of him. He smiled down at the little spitfire as he spoke.

"Thank you Kenjirou Minami, your praise is truly kind. I am very pleased to meet you."

The King then pointed to the glass vial in the young servant's hand.

'"Is that the recovery potion for Princess Mila?"

"Yes Mr. King Sama. The potion must all be consumed at one time by someone who is fully conscious. If Princess Sama is still sleeping, you must wait until she wakes."

The King took the vial from the young man and tipped his head lightly in his direction.

"Thank you Kenjiro Minami, I will follow the directions without fail."

He excused himself and went back into the tent. With Mila sleeping to his left and the Emperor still sleeping to his right, all he could do was wait.

_terminology_

abbastanza! (Italian) – enough!

Sorella, io ti amo (Italian) Sister, I love you

Ti piace controllarmi! (Italian) – you love to control me!

Arrivederci, fratello (Italian) – goodbye, brother

AZAMI: .


	23. A Rallying Cry

King Nikiforov eyed the little glass vial containing the recovery potion that highly excitable young man had brought to him just a bit earlier. It was a rather pleasing shade of purple, and when he removed the cap, was surprised that it smelled delightfully sweet. He looked over at Mila and saw that she had not yet regained consciousness. The young man, Kenjiro Minami, had been very adamant that the potion should only be given once the person is fully awake, lest they choke. The King looked over at the still-sleeping form of the Emperor and then back down at the bottle in his hand. _Maybe I can give the Emperor a few drops of this to speed along his recovery. Someone will most definitely be coming into this tent at some point or another to speak to him, I don't think he'd want people worrying and fussing over him._ The King stepped in closer to the Emperor's dozing form and carefully rearranged the pillows so that the man's head was tilted backward a bit. He was mindful to have his gloves on as he did so. He was still feeling a bit unsettled about what had happened earlier and wanted to wait and test things out to see if the Emperor would or could experience the same. He then meted out small drops of the potion and dribbled them painstakingly along the Emperor's lower lip. He then gently blew a few puffs of air on his lips, causing the man to lick his lips reflexively. The King stepped back and watched intently. He had no idea what to expect and was very curious as to how quickly the potion would work. The Emperor's nose twitched adorably and he mumbled something in his native tongue.

"おいしい…グレープ…"

The King's brows knitted together as he tried to decipher their meaning. He was at a complete loss as to the first word meant, but the second word kind of sounded like something he should know. _Goo-ray-pooh…grape? Could he possibly have said the word grape?_ The King uncapped the vial again and sniffed deeply, then promptly burst out laughing. He looked down softly at the Emperor, the corner of his eyes still crinkled with amusement.

"Grape, huh? It seems that the Emperor spills secrets in his sleep."

A few seconds later, the Emperor's eyelids fluttered briefly before they lifted to expose a pair of beautiful brown eyes the color of polished mahogany wood. King Nikiforov stared unabashedly at them, transfixed by their depth of color. They were a bit unfocused at first, but became clearer with each passing second. When he noticed the King standing there staring at him, he immediately sat up straight, sending a shower of pillows to the floor.

"What happened? Why was I asleep?"

The King knelt down in front of the Emperor and smiled encouragingly at him.

"You used your power to save Mila's life and it proved to be a bit of a drain on your body. You fainted shortly after and I placed you in this chair to allow you to rest. After I was given the recovery potion by one of your servants, I decided to use a few drops on you to speed things up a bit."

The Emperor looked off to the side, eyes settling on Mila's unconscious form.

"Was I successful? Has the poison been purged from her body? Has she regained consciousness yet? Has she received the recovery potion?"

He moved to stand but the King put up a hand in front of him.

"Please sit, Your Majesty. I will answer all your questions."

Emperor Katsuki nodded and leaned back comfortably into the chair.

"Yes, the purification was a resounding success. The poison was fully expunged from her body and destroyed by your healer. I cannot thank you enough for expending your own power to save her life. Mila has always been like a sister to me, I would have been utterly devastated by her loss."

The Emperor bowed his head as he acknowledged the King's thanks.

"I had the power to save her, and so I simply did what I knew that only I could to do. She is well and simply resting, then?"

"Yes, she sleeps comfortably and does not appear to be in any discomfort. She hasn't woken yet, so I have been unable to give her the recovery potion."

"I see. May I ask…earlier on, when I fainted…did anyone other than yourself witness it?"

The King smiled gently as he shook his head.

"No, I was the only one. I made sure Mrs. Nishigori left the tent before you lost consciousness."

"Ah, thank you for that King Nikiforov. I didn't want my subjects to see their ruler being weak."

The King was shocked. Had he just heard the Emperor correctly?

"With all due respect Your Majesty, I doubt that anyone in their right mind would ever consider you weak. I certainly do not. Especially not after witnessing such a display of power from you earlier. No one is infallible, dear Emperor. I don't think anyone could look down on you for being human."

The Emperor blushed fiercely at the King's words as was rather thankful that they were indoors. Hopefully the muted lighting of the medical tent would be able to mask the telltale blush spreading across his cheeks.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught the attention of both men.

"Emperor Katsuki. It's Yuuko. May I please enter the tent? We have an emergency!"

The King and the Emperor stared in disbelief at each other before speaking in unison.

"Another one?!"

…

Yuuko entered the tent and bowed to the Emperor before turning and doing the same to the King.

"Your Highness, the insurgent known as Michele Crispino has been found to be suffering from demonic possession, and is at the point where the dark energy has almost fully taken over his soul. We have rendered him unconscious at the moment, but fear that he will be fully turned the very moment he wakes."

The Emperor stood up and smoothed out his hakama and kosode. The King reached over to another chair and pulled out his kimono jacket, gently shaking it before offering it to him. The Emperor thanked the monarch and promptly donned the garment and tied it deftly with the matching obi.

"Lead me to him. I shall assist with the purification."

Two sets of voices echoed the same sentiment. Both Yuuko and the King uttered a very firm 'No'.

"Emperor Katsuki, I appreciate the offer, but you have already used your power today and do not wish for you to put your health in danger over yet another one of my subjects."

He then turned to Yuuko.

"Mrs. Nishigori, are you able to deal with this situation on your own?"

Yuuko looked the King squarely in the eyes.

"The situation is very dire, Your Highness. He may potentially already be too far gone. I surmise that there must be some sliver of his soul that still remains, otherwise he would have turned already. I won't be able to do it alone, no. But, the Emperor's assistance will not be required at this particular time and instance."

The King turned to the Emperor.

"You see, no Emperors needed this time around. As much as I appreciate the offer, I'd be much happier having you sit this one out."

The Emperor sighed dejectedly. He knew that he was outnumbered.

"Very well, I concede to your higher wisdom. What is your plan, Yuuko?"

"I plan on using the strong bond he has with his twin sister to purify him from the inside."

The Emperor nodded.

"I approve of your course of action. Let's begin the preparations immediately."

…

Yuuko was sitting down with Sara in the tent, feeling an increasing amount of pity for the young woman. She did not envy her position at all.

"So let me get this straight, my brother has a demon eating away at his soul, and unless we do something about it, will most definitely become a demon himself once he wakes up."

Yuuko nodded, hands tightening further around the bundle of her hakama she had in each one.

"And the only foreseeable means to save my brother is by putting us all in a trance and acting a spiritual bridge between us, so that I can force this demon from within him and save his life."

"Yes."

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"When do we start?"

…

They had opted to have the procedure performed outdoors, as it would allow them to maximize the number of people who could be counted upon to kill the demon once it left the young man's body. Three cots were placed on the ground and arranged quite close to one another. The young man was placed on the far left, Yuuko lay down in the middle and Sara took her place on the far right. Yuuko reached out and took a twin's hand in each of her own, forming the chain that would connect them all. The young male assassin looked a bit strange, with the four pieces of paper strategically tacked on to his body. Yuuko had explained that they were called O-fuda and were inscribed with the name of the great Goddess Amaterasu. They would keep the man immobilized during the procedure and prevent the demon from taking over. Yuuko instructed Sara to close to her eyes before she did the same. Yuuko flared out her power, wrapping all three of them in a powdery blue glow. She then chanted a few words under her breath, and the ritual began.

…

When Yuuko opened her eyes, she was standing next to Sara in a contorted dreamscape. The air was filled with the cries of young children and the angry shouts of adults, followed by the cracking of whips.

"Sara, what is this place?"

The young assassin woman trembled as she took in their surroundings.

"A place I never wanted to see ever again. Is this what Mickey dreams about? My God, why would he torture himself this way?"

"The ritual begins by taking us to the point where the demon first infected your brother's soul. We are here because this is a site of great importance. We must find your brother immediately."

Sara nodded and started walking toward an area with rows upon rows of rectangular one-storey houses. They made their way to a building that was last in a row of identical ones. Sara opened the door and recoiled at the sight before her. All the memories came crashing down on her at once. The filthy conditions they had been forced to live in, how one hundred children had been squeezed into a space designed for 20. How their beds had been dirty, parasite-infested blankets on a cold and unforgiving floor. They couldn't sense any smells in the dream, and for that she was grateful. She saw the rusty bucket in the corner of the room that had served as their toilet and practically gagged at the memory of the smell.

Yuuko was appalled.

"You…you lived here?"

Sara spat bitterly on the ground.

"Yes. Our parents sold us off into slavery once we became too expensive to care for. They had wanted to keep Michele around, since he was more 'useful' as a boy….but he threatened to run away and refused to be parted from me."

They drifted deeper into the room and came upon younger versions of Sara and her twin brother. Sara vaguely recalled the ordeal. She was sick for a few days, and delirious with fever. She had been flogged for working too slowly or something, and her wounds had become infected. Of course the slaves didn't have access to doctors or medicine, they were expendable. If five of them died, the masters would have twenty more by the next day. Many countries were suffering badly from poverty and starvation at that time, and the children had borne the brunt of it. Parents sold off their own flesh and blood, convinced that they were giving them a chance at a 'better life' but were really just condemning them to slavery and a miserably slow death. The slave masters never had to worry about a lack of new slaves.

As Sara watched, she saw the look of sheer rage and hatred on Mickey's face. He clutched desperately at her hand as tears streamed down his face, leaving tracks of clean skin on his grimy face.

 _"_ _Those fuckers, I hate ALL of them! I wish that they would all just DIE. Especially the one who hurt Sara and made her sick! I wish….I wish I had the power to do something about it!"_

Sara sobbed as she watched. She wished she could remember this, but she didn't have any memory of the incident. She had been out cold with a fever. Yuuko placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you must watch this, I truly am. But it's absolutely necessary."

Sara wiped the tears from her eyes as she nodded. She looked back over at Mickey, and that's she saw it.

A dark cloud drifted in from the window and wrapped itself around Mickey's malnourished frame. Sara and Yuuko could both feel the malignant energy radiating from it.

 ** _You seek revenge, little one? Aren't you a bit too young to have such…deliciously murderous thoughts?_**

Mickey was startled by the sudden presence and voice. He looked around the room and then noticed the dark glow around him.

 _"_ _Who's there?"_

 ** _I am…a friend, and I'm here to help you. I can give you everything you need, little one. I can help make all your wishes come true. I will help you get revenge on the one who hurt your loved one and show you where to get the medicine that will save her._**

 _"_ _You would do all that…for me?"_

 ** _Yes, yes, of course I would. You're my friend. I'll even help you escape from here once she's better. You'd like that, wouldn't you? To leave this horrible, horrible place?_**

Poor, young and naïve Mickey's eyes lit up with so much hope that it nearly broke Sara's heart.

 ** _You just need to let me in…here._** The black cloud gathered over the young boy's heart, swirling excitedly at the prospect of the tasty soul inside it.

Sara cried out, knowing full well that her brother couldn't hear her. "Oh Mickey, no!"

The amount of guilt she felt washing over her was overwhelming. Her illness had caused her brother to make a deal with a demon! Sara felt a reassuring squeeze from the hand on her shoulder.

"Do not blame yourself, Sara. Demons are experts at sniffing out people during their greatest times of weakness. They tell people exactly what they want to hear and promise them all the right things. Your life here was beyond challenging, it is not so shocking that your young and innocent brother succumbed to the temptation."

 _"_ _I accept. You can live in my heart for however long you want, as long as I can save my sister and protect her."_

 ** _Excellent, truly excellent! You are the best friend I've ever had._**

The swirling black cloud swirled angrily before pushing itself into Mickey's body via his mouth and nose. Mickey's eyes swirled with black energy and a sinister smile briefly formed on his lips before fading away. The young boy stood up and stepped over the sleeping bodies of other children before walking out of the room. Sara was inconsolable.

"Mickey, caro amore, you've been living with a demon inside you all this time! How did I not notice? How could I, as your sister, not have known that something was wrong?"

"Sara, believe it or not, this is actually really good news. The demon took over when his soul was still young and undeveloped. It grew with him and stayed in his body while feeding off the obsessive love energy. The demon was certainly behind those feelings and the acts your brother carried out in their name. But because your brother's soul was not yet mature when the demon infected him, he was not able to take full possession of it. I imagine that's what it's trying to do now. There's hope!"

Sara nodded as she covered the fox woman's hand with her own.

"There's hope...there's hope...c'è ancora speranza!

Sara suddenly felt a strong sense of foreboding. She looked up and saw her brother return to her side. Shivers ran down her spine when she saw her brother's malicious smile. She then looked down to her brother's hand and nearly fainted. Had this been happening in the real world, she'd be throwing up. In her brother's hand was a bloody knife. Mickey had killed.

terminology_

おいしい (oishi) - Japanese: delicious

グレープ (gurepu) - Japanese: grape

O-fuda (御札) - is a type of household amulet or talisman issued by a Shinto Shrine, hung in the house for protection, a gofu (護符). It may also be called shinpu (神符). It is made by inscribing the name of a kami (god) and the name of the Shinto shrine or of a representative of the _kami_ on a strip of paper, wood, cloth, or metal. (護符). It may also be called shinpu (神符). It is made by inscribing the name of a kami (god) and the name of the Shinto shrine or of a representative of the kami on a strip of paper, wood, cloth, or metal.

caro amore - (Italian) dear love

c'è ancora speranza! - (Italian) there is still hope!


	24. The Ties That Bind

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this one came out a bit later than it usually does! I've been suffering horribly from a case of artistic ADHD. I had at one point three fics I was writing for as well as a bunch of artwork I was working on. I wanted too work o everything at once, but of course that's impossible. I am but one hyper-artistic person, and there aren't nearly enough hours in a day.

...

Sara's knees wobbled and she started falling forward, but her descent was stopped by an arm wrapping itself around her waist.

"Sara, stay strong!"

Tears streamed down the Italian maiden's face as she looked at her brother, cursing the day that had just played out in her brother's memories before her. She remembered hearing something about a guard that had gone 'missing'. He had gone to bed in his quarters one night and then simply vanished. No one had found any traces of him and at some point had assumed that he had run off in the middle of the night and started another life elsewhere. Sara had recovered from her illness, chalking things up to nothing short of a miracle. She knew now why she had survived. As Mickey's memories continued to play out in front of her, she saw how he had come in with some strange plants that he'd turned into a poultice. He cleaned and dressed her wounds faithfully three times a day.

He had mastered timing his work breaks with her bandage changes, painstakingly bringing water to her lips until she drank enough to satisfy him. Two days after she had fully recovered, a fire broke out in the slave masters' compound. It had spread unnaturally fast and the children had seized upon their chance for escape. Mickey had grabbed her hand and pulled her through the thick smoke, chaos and confusion. He had led them, inexplicably unobstructed, to freedom as if guided by some invisible force. Sara knew now that there had been a dark rationale behind their astounding liberation. The demon had guided Mickey through every single step.

The image of the slave camp shimmered and faltered and morphed into a barren landscape. The area was devoid of all living things, without a single tree or insect in sight. Rust-colored sand filled every corner of the vision, combining with the light from the setting sun to paint the atmosphere in a shade reminiscent of blood.

"What is this place? It's so oppressively desolate here."

Yuuko looked around trying to see if she could sense anything within the space. She felt the young male assassin's energy, but it seemed to be rapidly fading.

She took off running, shouting over her should at Sara to follow her. A dense mist suddenly rolled in and filled the landscape, making it impossible for them to see anything in front of them.

"The demon is trying to confuse us and prevent you from reaching your brother. It's not going to work, though."

Yuuko closed her eyes and held out both hands in front of her with the palms facing up. Her hands glowed a blue color before a bow appeared in the left hand and a quiver of arrows appeared in her right.

"The best part of being in a dreamscape is that you can make just about anything happen, as long as you're aware that you're in a dream. It takes a lot of mental power to be able to separate the reality from the illusion when your brain is effectively taking a timeout from reality."

The Hanyou Kitsune pulled the quiver strap over her head, sticking her left arm through the loop and then tightening the fasteners until it was comfortably snug against her body. She pulled out an arrow and notched it, pulling back on the string as the arrow began to glow as well. Once the arrow had grown bright enough, she released it, and it cut through the strange fog like a hot knife through butter. The swirling wake of the arrow's trajectory then further magnified the effect, spreading out widely behind it and dissipating the mist completely. Once the mist cleared, a cage could be seen up ahead. They approached it cautiously, unsure of what they would find. Once they were close enough, Sara could see that it was her brother in the cage. He was sitting on the ground, back hunched over and black energy swirling all around him.

"Mickey! It's me, Sara!"

 ** _Be gone, woman. You have served your purpose. His soul will be fully mine soon._**

"Get your filthy demon claws off my brother, foul creature! I will not allow you to have him!"

 ** _What hypocrisy spews from your mouth, human! You fought your brother on those same thoughts your whole life, and yet now claim the same possessiveness over him! Delicious! I can see the impurities in your soul, woman. They have whet my appetite. Perhaps I shall have your soul next._**

Sara opened her mouth to speak, but faltered. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and her thoughts became muddled. She found herself thinking that perhaps the demon was right, and that agreeing him was the best thing to do. She wasn't allowed to feel that way for long though, Yuuko had taken one of her hands into her own and Sara felt a wave of clarity wash over her at once.

"Are you alright, Sara? You must stay strong, a demon will weasel its way into any cracks in your defense it thinks it can use to its advantage."

"I'm fine Yuuko, thank you. Being in contact with you keeps my head and heart clear. Please don't let go."

The fox woman nodded and stepped in closer.

"Sara, we need to hurry. Your brother is quickly running out of time. You must reach out to him and have him choose life over giving into the demon."

"How do I do _that_?"

Yuuko winked and smiled at the young assassin.

"You use the greatest and most powerful magic of all…love."

Sara nodded and the two women began walking toward the cage with purpose. A howling wind rose up from out of nowhere and pushed against them as they fought to keep walking forward. The wind picked up the red sand around them and whipped it right at them, the small grains acting as abrasively painful projectiles. Both women shielded their faces with their free arm and leaned into the swirling wind. The storm lashed violently and loudly at them and they had to shout over the sounds of the maelstrom in order to make themselves heard.

"Keep pushing forward! We have to do this last bit all on our own. If I let go of you to shoot another arrow, you'll be left open to the demon's manipulation. We can do this!"

"You know, for a dream, this sand feels _painfully_ real!"

The wind grew stronger still and soon the women were forced to crawl on their hands and knees on the ground. Sara brought her scarf up to cover her mouth and nose to keep from breathing in the particles. Yuuko used her own tail to do the same.

"We're close! I can feel him…I can feel Mickey nearby!"

The two women crawled onward and soon Sara felt her hand come up against something solid. She looked up and could barely make out Mickey's outline in the swirling sand.

"Mickey! I'm here! Tua sorella è qui per te!"

Mickey's form remained as it was, and there was no reaction from the young man.

 ** _Foolish woman, you're too late! He gave up his love for you the moment you turned your back on him!_**

"Shut up! You don't know anything about us! I haven't given up my love for him, we're sibling twins…we disagree, we fight, we get upset and then we make up! I love Mickey with all my heart and will _never_ stop!"

Mickey's head lifted and he swiveled it to look in the direction of her voice. His eyes still swirled with dark energy, but the storm seemed to abate somewhat.

"Sa…ra?"

Sara cried tears of joy, their wetness mixing with the sand on her face and creating a gritty paste that irritated her skin and eyes. She ignored the discomfort and slipped a hand through the metal bars, growling in frustration when she discovered that Mickey was just out of reach.

 ** _Ignore her. She turned her back on you, remember?_** The demon imitated Sara's voice as it spoke "…not even God can help you now…"

Mickey's face fell and tears rolled down his face.

"Sara… _doesn't_...love me?"

 ** _No, she doesn't. Only_** ** _I_** ** _love you. Give yourself to me, Michele. I'll love you forever and never let you go!_**

Sara was absolutely desperate. She could see that Mickey's resolve was faltering and that she was about to lose her brother to the demon. A sudden revelation struck her like a lightning bolt, there was one last way to reach Mickey after all. She cleared her throat, and began to sing.

 _Whenever I hear you, bands begin to play_ _  
It's a serenade for two_

Mickey's head whipped up at the sound of the music, and swung around frantically to determine its source.

 _How do I forget you this feeling inside  
I am always watching over you_

Mickey looked in Sara's direction and the dark energy drained from his eyes. The storm died down instantly and the demon shrieked with rage.

 ** _She's trying to trick you, you useless sack of flesh! Don't fall for her deceitful siren song!_**

Whenever I see you, stars in your eyes  
brighten up the sky for me

Mickey ignored the demon and crawled toward Sara's voice.

We're dancing in the moonlight  
Tonight you will belong to me  
Only you...

Mickey opened his mouth and his rich baritone voice joined Sara's smooth falsetto.

You mean the world to me, my lady

Mickey reached out, closed the distance between them and took Sara's hand. A bright light exploded all around the connected trio and the harsh desert landscape melted away, leaving them surrounded by tranquil whiteness. Only the sounds of the infuriated demon intruded on their serenity. Mickey and Sara were both locked in an embrace, clinging desperately to one another as they whispered reassurances to one another in their native tongue.

"Sara, you two need to stand up! I need to shoot the demon out of your brother's heart!"

Sara stood up, pulling Mickey up with her. Yuuko took aim and shot the arrow of blue light at Sara's back. It passed harmlessly through both of them, only causing harm to its intended target. The demon howled, screeched and cursed them as it was exorcised from Mickey's heart, and then made its escape into the real world. _It's up to the guys waiting outside, now._

 _..._

The crowd gathered outside as the ritual was taking place knew something would be coming forth soon. They could all hear the demon's screaming and prepared for attack. They watched in awe as the three bodies were enveloped in a white light just a few seconds before a demon was forced out of Michele's body. The demon screamed bloody murder as it made its exit, a shrill and high-pitched shriek that caused many of them to cover their ears. Squire Plisetsky was busy cursing demons and their blasted love of screaming when he suddenly notice it turning to look right at him. _Shit!_ The young Squire tried to raise his bow to fire at the demon, but realized with horror that he wouldn't make it in time. The best he could do was position the arrow so that the demon would at least potentially end up impaling himself on it. Just before the demon got to him, it stopped, seemingly frozen in mid air.

The young Squire watched in awe as the demon slowly turned to ice right in front of him. He looked behind the demon and saw General Altin sheathing his sword. Once the demon was totally frozen, the young Squire poked it with an index finger, causing it to shatter into a million little pieces before dissolving into nothing. The General approached him.

"Are you unharmed, Squire Plisetsky?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You have the eyes of a soldier, young Squire. But you must not allow those eyes to wander nor take them so carelessly off your quarry. You may not have someone there to cover for you in the future."

Squire Plisetsky blushed fiercely with embarrassment as he found himself being humbled once again. He really wasn't enjoying being constantly reminded of his shortcomings these last two days. He swallowed his pride and bowed curtly toward the General.

"Thank you for saving me."

The General seemed a bit surprised at the expression of gratitude but simply tilted his head in acquiescence.

Unbeknownst to the Squire, a certain Ice Dragon King had witnessed him nearly get his ass handed to him (again) and had stalked silently up behind him. The next thing the Squire knew, his left ear was being viciously pulled in what appeared to be a blatant attempt to have it physically separated from his body. A quick glance out of the corner of his eye confirmed his suspicion that the King had finally caught up to him.

"Ow ow ow ow! Fuuuuuuuuck! That hurts! Let go, you old fucking geezer!"

The King smiled wickedly before tightening his grip and pulling harder and straight down. In an attempt to ease the pain, Squire Plisetsky followed the movement with his body, ending up on his knees before the King.

"My dear, ever- _so_ -dear Squire Plisetsky, words cannot fully express how... _thrilled_...I am that you are well and recovered so fully from disobeying direct orders and having a near-death experience."

The young Squire gulped. That tone of voice may sound sweet to the untrained ear, but it was truly the stuff of nightmares. It meant that the King was absolutely livid, and he was going to end up paying for his transgressions in spades.

"I'm _extremely_ thankful that you recuperated so well that you were able to assault the woman who saved your life and still had some energy left to insult the Emperor, too!"

The Squire was absolutely horrified. _SHIT, how does he already know all that?!_ The young Squire turned his head a bit and was able to spot the Emperor standing nearby with his fan out concealing the lower half of his face, and shoulders slightly shaking. _He's laughing at me!_ The man waved happily at him once he noticed the Squire's eyes on him. Squire Plisetsky groaned. _I am SO fucked._

_terminology_

Tua sorella è qui per te (Italian): your sister is here for you!


	25. Atonement

**A/N: life keeps getting in the way of my writing. .**

With the demon gone, Mickey and Sara were taken into a separate tent to recover, and Yuuko was taken by her husband Takeshi to their own tent. The Ice Dragon guests were fed and allowed to rest and relax for the first time that day. The King turned to the Emperor and requested an audience with him in order to discuss the fate of a certain rather anxious and pale-looking Squire. The Emperor agreed to the request and asked the King and Squire to join him in his tent. The King followed the Emperor out, dragging the subdued Squire behind him by the ear.

Once they reached the tent, the Emperor removed his shoes before entering. The two Ice Dragons behind him followed suit, with the King refusing to relinquish his grip on the Squire's angry-red ear, managing the task with his free hand. Once inside, the Emperor took his seat and the King followed suit. Squire Plisetsky was the last to be seated, dragged down by the King's movement. When the King finally released the Squire's ear, the young man hissed through gritted teeth and immediately brought a hand up to cover the tortured body part. He glared daggers of death at the monarch sitting next to him but remained wisely silent.

"Emperor Katsuki, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to you and your clan for coming to Squire Plisetsky's rescue and saving his life. He is the orphaned son of a rather important political ally in Occidentis."

The King turned his head to stare pointedly at the young man next to him.

"His death would have _most certainly_ led to a civil war."

The young Squire winced and seemed to shrink under the King's intense gaze.

The Emperor seemed a bit surprised by this fact and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm. It is very fortunate then, that he was discovered when he was. Yuuko informed me that had Momiji found him just one minute later, it would have been too late."

"Well, I would like to meet this Momiji, if you please. I'd like to thank them personally for their role in saving the Squire's life."

The King missed the pure mischief twinkling in the Emperor's eyes, being instead distracted by the sudden and gurgled cough that was emitted by the young man next to him. The Emperor smiled sweetly, doing his best to keep his voice even as he spoke.

"Certainly, King Nikiforov. As you wish."

The young Emperor brought his index finger and thumb up to his lips and whistled. One flash of light and loud pop later, a green-eyed fox kit appeared in the room with them, sitting pretty at the Emperor's feet. The man patted his lap.

"Momiji, come."

The little fox kit jumped into the Emperor's lap and immediately rolled over onto its back. The Emperor gladly accepted the invitation and began to provide belly rubs as requested. The King's eyes grew larger and larger as he stared at the fox kit, and the young Squire had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"King Nikiforov, this is Momiji. She is Yuuko's familiar spirit and a gift from the fox goddess Inari Okami."

When Emperor Katsuki looked up at the King, his heart melted and fluttered happily in his chest at the sight before him. The man's heart-shaped mouth was wide open, frozen in an expression of pure delight, eyes dancing with glee and shimmering beautifully in the light.

"Momiji, the King would like to meet you."

The little fox kit yipped and barked her response, and the King just about disintegrated into a puddle of incoherent goo. The kit then jumped off the Emperor's lap and bounced prettily over to the King, stopping in front of his knees. The King removed the glove covering his right hand and reached out tentatively toward the fox. Momiji sniffed the hand presented to her and gave it a few licks of acceptance, causing the enchanted King to gasp. He reached out further until his fingers made contact with the soft tufts of fur at the top of the fox's head. The fox made a happy little whining noise and leaned into the King's touch. The King's fingers moved on their own, doling out gentle caresses to what had to be the most adorable little animal he had ever seen. The fox closed her eyes and made deep rumbling noises in her throat as she enjoyed the King's attention. After a few minutes, he was finally able to break free from the fox's spell and find his voice.

"So, I hear that you're the one who saved our troublesome friend over here."

Momiji opened her eyes and barked at the King as she flicked her tail from side to side.

"Well, that was very kind of you. On behalf of the kingdom of Occidentis, I thank you for your act of kindness. The Squire and I are forever in your debt."

The King put his hand over his heart and bowed his head toward the little fox kit. He then turned to look at the young man next to him, cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Isn't that right, Squire Plisetsky?"

The young Squire straightened his spine and nodded his agreement enthusiastically.

"A-ah…yes, thank you. I'm…uhh…sorry I didn't have the chance to thank you yet. But, I'm really glad you saved me. I thought I was a fucking dead man back there."

Squire Plisetsky shrieked bloody murder as he found his severely mistreated ear locked in a vice-grip once more.

"Watch your language, Squire Plisetsky! Speak in a way that befits your royal standing!"

"Ok-alright-fine! Just let go already! Please!"

The King released the Squire's ear, crossed his arms and waited. The young man glowered icily out of the corner of his eye at the insufferable ruler sitting next to him before clearing his throat.

"I, Squire Plisetsky, would like to express my eternal gratitude to the fox familiar known as Momiji, for saving my life. Without your efforts, I would not be here today."

He then copied the King's earlier actions and placed his hand over his heart before bowing toward the fox kit as well. The King clapped his hands in pure glee.

"You see?! I always knew you had it in you! I knew you had the ability to speak gallantly in a manner that reflects your upbringing."

The Squire's lips twitched in annoyance. He absolutely hated it whenever anyone mentioned his 'upbringing', especially when those words came from the King himself.

"That was a good start, young Squire, but there is yet another who awaits your gratitude."

Squire Plisetsky was confused for a moment, before snapping his head around to stare at the Emperor. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when the King cut him off.

"Not so fast, young man. He is royalty, and therefore requires something more appropriate… _grandiose_ even."

The young golden-haired man threw his hands up in frustration.

"What would you have me do? Kiss his feet or something?"

The King turned to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, according to the customs of Orientalis, what is the best way for someone to show the highest level of thankful prostration?"

The Emperor rose from his seat and smoothed out his robes before straightening out his spine to stand at his full height.

"In Orientalis, there is a gesture known as a 'dogeza'. One must first get down on their knees, and then plant their palms on the ground in front of them, before bringing their forehead down to touch the floor."

"Perfect! Squire Plisetsky, you heard the man."

The Squire looked back and forth between the two monarchs, a horrified look on his face.

"Are you serious? Surely you can't be serious! Oh my god, you're _totally_ serious. You want me to grovel in front of the ruler of a foreign kingdom we don't even have an alliance with?!"

The King stood up, threw his cape over his shoulder with a flourish, and then walked over to the Emperor.

"Emperor Katsuki, would you like to form an alliance with the kingdom of Occidentis and work together to eradicate the demon threat from our lands and eventually all seven kingdoms?"

"I, Emperor Katsuki, ruler of Orientalis, graciously accept your offer to form an alliance."

The two men exchanged a firm handshake.

"Excellent! I'll have the official paperwork drawn up once I return to Zamok Drakona. I look forward to what our kingdoms can do for each other."

The King turned to face the young Squire, whose jaw had pretty much fallen to the ground and stayed there. The King and Emperor both stared at him with giant grins on their faces.

"There. We are now officially allies and you have no excuse!"

Knowing that he was beaten and that there simply wouldn't be any other way out of it, the young Squire performed the 'dogeza' and thanked the Emperor profusely for allowing him to live and extending his protection to him.

The King sat back down and motioned for the Squire to do the same.

"Once Mrs. Nishigori has recovered from exorcising the demon within Michele Crispino, you will do this 'dogeza' for her as well. Be sure to also apologize to her husband."

The Squire hung his head and wrung his hands awkwardly in his lap.

"You know, I'm used to your outbursts, foul mouth and often-reprehensible behavior. But I had thought that you'd at least known how to properly respect a lady."

The Squire looked up at the King, not quite meeting his eyes, his face red with shame.

"I-I….I didn't mean to disrespect her! I just…I saw the ears and my curiosity overwhelmed me, alright?"

"I don't care if she had five eyes, an elephant trunk for a nose or twenty fingers. I don't care if your curiosity burned at you until you were a carbonized husk. You had _no right_ to lay your hands on any part of her body without her assent. I also was overrun with curiosity when I first met her, but managed to do so without infringing on her person."

"Yes, King Nikiforov. I apologize."

"I'm not the one who needs an apology, you know what you need to do. You are dismissed."

The Squire stood up and bowed to the Emperor before bowing to the King and then silently stepping out of the tent.

The King sighed, exhaling loudly as he rubbed at his temples.

"That boy, he will be the death of me some day."

"He is a challenging one, I'll give you that. I get the feeling that he's suffered terribly in his young life. He's angry at the world and feels like the gods have turned their backs on him. But he has a very good heart, Momiji would not have been drawn to him without it."

At the mention of her name, the little fox kit barked twice and then jumped back into the Emperor's lap.

"Momiji, why don't you return to Yuuko's side? You're probably worried about her aren't you?"

The fox kit stood up on its hind quarters and licked the Emperor's face before disappearing into nothingness right before their eyes.

"Your Kingdom must be incredible if it houses such fascinating creatures! I've been at your camp less than one day and Momiji is _just one_ of the captivating beings I have met in that short time."

The Emperor felt a light blush creep into his cheeks at the King's words. The King had been staring at him intently when he had spoken them, boring into his soul with those stupefying blue eyes of his.

"Ah, yes…Orientalis has some unique treasures, as does Occidentis I'm sure."

The Emperor stood up and the King quickly followed suit.

"King Nikiforov, I invite your delegation to set up camp within our walls. Since we'll be working together from now on, it would be more convenient to have everyone together at one location."

"Yes, I think you're right about that. I shall go and inform my General immediately."

"Allow me to lend you some of my guards and horses. They can help the move go faster."

"Thank you, Emperor Katsuki, that is very kind of you."

"Once your General returns, I would like to hold a meeting to determine the next course of action. We must make a decisive strike, and exterminate the demons on this island."

"Agreed."


	26. Sleeping Beauty Awakens

Once the Ice Dragon delegation returned, the Phoenix camp exploded in a flurry of activity. The King and Emperor both coordinated their efforts to ensure that everything ran smoothly and that the Ice Dragons were comfortably settled in the shortest amount of time. King Nikiforov took great interest in how the Emperor's subjects related to him. Emperor Katsuki did not seem a fearsome ruler, and it did not appear that those who served him did so out of fear. He did not tout his position nor use it to intimidate those around him. Most astonishingly, he did not relate to his people with the air of superiority he often saw expressed in the rulers of Occidentis. Those monarchs would waste no time in letting those around them know that they were _beneath them._ The words 'know your place' practically oozed from their every pore.

By contrast, the man was actually quite soft-spoken, rarely raising his voice or shouting. He had this quiet authority about him, and it was clear that his subjects absolutely adored him. General Altin approached him and stood silently next to him for a few minutes before speaking.

"He is a fair and just ruler. I cannot yet speak for his battle skills or strategy, but it is clear that he has the absolute loyalty and admiration of those who serve him."

The King smiled at his General.

"You are as astute as always, Otabek. The Emperor has a calm and composed exterior, yet he wields the most intense and wildly uncontrollable element known to mankind. I have witnessed a small fraction of his power, I would not wish to be on the wrong end of his fury if it ever becomes fully unleashed."

"Sources tell me that you have forged an official alliance with their clan?"

The King looked at the General out of the corner of his eye, his lips forming a wry smile.

"I see that Squire Plisetsky seems physically unable to control his own mouth."

The General grunted in response, a gesture the King had learned a long time ago was the closest thing to a laugh the man ever got.

"He is still young and driven by anger. His lack of control is how we find ourselves in this particular situation. Give him time, once he is able to reign in those emotions of his, he will become a force to be reckoned with."

"His youth is no excuse. He is not that much younger than you Otabek, and yet you lead the King's army. Extreme emotions can result in rash decisions and dangerous impulsivity, certainly. But a lack of emotion can lead to apathy, and eventually end in a lack of connection with humanity. The trick is finding the balance between the two states."

Th General nodded curtly at the King, not missing the way the monarch's words seemed directed at him as much as the Squire.

The conversation was brought to an abrupt end once the Emperor approached, flanked by the shadow warrior woman. General Altin examined the woman with quiet curiosity. Her battle grab and weapons were complete novelties to him, and he itched to examine their quality and craftsmanship. Most curious of all was the woman's footwear. They did not appear to be any kind of shoes he had ever encountered. She wore shin guards, but her legs were not fully encased in armor like the greaves he himself wore. They spoke of a warrior who relied on quickness and stealth. He had heard that she was able to successfully sneak up on and capture Sara Crispino. He had been shocked to hear it, Sara was the best assassin in all of Occidentis, and not even her twin brother was able to match her talents. The Emperor paused to bow to the King and nod toward him.

"King Nikiforov, General Altin. I present you Minako Okukawa, Royal Shinobi. In Occidentis, you might know her as a 'ninja'."

Two sets of eyebrows disappeared into hairlines as the two Ice Dragons immediately recognized the word.

The Shinobi woman bowed deeply to the King and General both.

"It is a pleasure to make both of your acquaintance. You may call me Okukawa San, and yes...I am _very_ real."

The King chuckled, a bit embarrassed to have his incredulity picked up on.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Okukawa San. Please forgive our reactions, back in Occidentis there is a lot of mystery and lore surrounding the 'ninja'. No one that has ever seen one has lived to speak of the ordeal."

Minako smiled.

"A true Shinobi leaves behind no witnesses."

The two Ice Dragons felt a shiver run down their spines. The woman's smile was genuinely friendly, but her stormy-gray eyes glinted with the promise of danger.

The Emperor meanwhile, was doing his best to keep from rolling his eyes. Minako had always had a flair for the dramatic and this was a rare opportunity for her to show off a bit. He was glad that he had approached the subject with her earlier. He'd asked her to draw the line at outright frightening them, he didn't want to start the alliance off on the wrong foot

"Ah, yes...Okukawa San is a consummate professional and Orientalis' best. Today, I offer her services to you as a guide. I propose that she work together with your General to familiarize him with the facilities and to map the new camp's configuration. General Altin can tell her about the ones from your camp and she can do the same about ours."

The King clapped his hands together, his mouth breaking out in a dazzling smile.

"Perfect! I approve. General Altin, please work together with Okukawa San."

The General brought his right hand to his heart and bowed to the King.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Okukawa San bowed to her Emperor and the two clan delegates departed for their task. The Emperor approached the King, falling into place comfortably at his side.

"May I suggest that the cooks from both our camps work together to prepare tonight's meal? We have a location set aside for a large bonfire and can have the serving tables moved outdoors. I think it would be nice to have everyone out under the stars to enjoy such a meal. It would also be a great chance for some cultural exchange and the best time to announce our alliance."

The King nodded appreciatively, pleasantly surprised that the Emperor had thought that far ahead and was actively trying to establish a unified front.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Emperor Katsuki! I shall have my cooks informed immediately."

The Emperor smiled, relieved that the King had accepted his suggestion so readily.

"You may tell your cooks that they are welcome to bring their ingredients and tools to our tent. It's quite spacious and will be able to accommodate everyone. If you wish, I can provide some men to assist with carrying everything over."

"Thank you dear Emperor, but that won't be necessary. Now that we're all set up, I have more the enough men to cover the task. I thank you for your gracious offer."

The Emperor's cheeks colored slightly at the term of endearment, but he managed to carry on as if it hadn't affected him.

"It is no bother, I am here to assist in any way possible. If you need anything, all you must do is ask."

"Well, there _is_ the matter of our first war council. I would like to get started on this demon threat as soon as possible. I propose that we meet tonight before dinner, that way we can at least decide on the teams we will send, their members and formation. Then, we can begin the day tomorrow with an early morning practice. This will give the team commanders a chance to know their members, see what they can do and work out strategies."

The Emperor rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over the King's plan.

"Your plan appears to be quite sound. I agree to your proposal, we shall have the first war council between our clans at sunset. I invite you, your General and the Lancer that accompanied you to attend. I shall have present with me Minako Okukawa and Yuuko Nishigori. Does this arrangement suit you, King Nikiforov?"

The King nodded his approval.

"It does."

Before another word was exchanged, a young visitor was heard before he was seen.

"Emperor Katsuki Sama! King Sama!"

Minami was barreling toward them at full speed. The King leaned in close to whisper in the Emperor's ear.

"Is he always this... _energetic_?"

"Every. Single. Day."

The King covered his mouth as he tried to contain his mirth. As they pulled apart, Minami came to a full stop before them. He bowed to the Emperor before doing the same to the King.

"Minami is sorry to disturb you, Royal Samas, but there is good news for King Sama!"

The Emperor placed a hand on Minami's shoulder.

"What is it, Kenjiro?"

The young man was so excited that he could barely stand still as he spoke.

"Princess Sama has woken and received the recovery potion. She wishes to speak with King Sama."

The King's eyes lit up at the mention of the Princess and turned to the Emperor with the most beautiful smile of pure joy that he all but had to shield his eyes from its brilliance.

"This is fabulous news! Mila is awake! May I please see her, Emperor Katsuki?"

"You did not even need to ask, dear King. You may see your subjects whenever you see fit."

The King did not miss how the Emperor had used his own term of affection back at him, the act pleasing him far more than he thought it would. _What is wrong with me? I am the the ruler of an entire continent and I can't stop fawning over a man I just me. I must be getting soft in my old age._

"Minami, please take the King to the recovery tent."

Minami bowed deeply to the Emperor and then motioned for the King to follow him.

…

King Nikiforov fought to keep his cool as he entered the tent and saw Mila sitting up, a piping hot teacup in her lap. She looked healthy and vibrant, cheeks pink with vigor and no dark circles under her eyes. Minami bowed deeply toward him before excusing himself to give them some privacy.

"Mila! You look wonderful! How do you feel?"

The Elven Princess smiled sheepishly at the King, lowering her eyes humbly as the he approached her bedside.

"I am well, thank you. It appears that I have caused a lot of trouble and worry for you and the Phoenix Clan, and for that I am sorry. I am especially sorry for how frightened it must all have made you, Viktor. Please forgive me, but it was all I could do to stop a war starting between our clans on the first encounter."

The King reached for her tea cup and placed it on a nearby table. He then leaned in and wrapped his arms around the young woman, bringing one hand up to cradle the back of her head. Mila gasped when she felt the hot drops falling on her bare shoulder and tried to pull away to check on him. When the King spoke, his voice was raw with emotion, and barely recognizable to her.

"Please Mila, just let me hold you like this for a while."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him in return.

"Take as long as you need."

…

When the King was finally able to compose himself, he pulled away. He reached into his pocket and removed a handkerchief. He dabbed daintily at his eyes, careful not to make them any redder than they already were.

"I would tell you to _never_ do anything like that to me again, but let's both be honest, you'd just deny me to my face."

Mila smiled sadly as she reached for the King's hand and held it.

"I would do it all over again if I had to, Viktor. I do not regret pushing myself beyond my limits for the sake of your future and happiness. It is the..."

"The promise you made my mother. I know, I know."

The King sighed and rubbed vigorously at his temples.

"I don't think my mother meant for you to throw your life away for me, Mila. Listen, I know that you're an independent and headstrong woman, and that I can't tell you what to do with your life. But Mila, please think long and hard before you even think of doing something like this again. I was nearly beside myself with grief when they told me you were dying. You're my best friend and most trusted advisor. But more importantly, you are like the sister I never had. You are _family_ , Mila.

"Thank you Viktor, your words mean more to me than you'll ever know. I shall weigh this information heavily if a similar situation should ever arise."

"Thank you. That is all I really ask."

Mila yawned and stretched her arms over her head before reaching for her cup of tea.

"Have you had any of this tea yet? It's the most amazing stuff I've ever tasted! The people of Orientalis sure know how to brew a magical cup of tea."

"Yes, you're certainly right about that! I had some tea earlier with the lunch the Emperor had prepared for us."

Mila perked up at the mention of the Emperor.

"What's he like, the Emperor? I haven't met him yet, but apparently I owe him my life."

The King sighed as his eyes took on a dreamy look.

"He's an incredibly interesting man. Immensely powerful, but very kind and selfless. He offered to save you without a second thought. He didn't know who you were and it didn't seem to matter to him. All he knew was that you needed help and he was the only one could do it. So he did."

Mila smiled knowingly at the King.

"Well, _someone_ in this room is already smitten with the Emperor!"

The King's face turned a bright shade of red and he sputtered incoherently for a few seconds before being able to speak.

"Th-that's impossible! I've only known the man for a day! I'm not smitten...I'm simply appreciative of his accolades as a ruler."

Mila shot him a look that left no doubts as to what she thought of his excuse.

"Bullshit. You're smitten. I can see it, clear as day, all over your face. Has the Ice King's frozen little heart finally found someone to melt it?"

The King covered his face with both hands and groaned.

"Miiiiiiiillla! You're so embarrassing! I barely know the man, I couldn't possibly know that yet!"

"A-ha! YET! Fine, if you don't want to admit that you're positively, absolutely smitten...then we'll go with 'highly curious about and interested'. I expect you to keep me updated on any developments."

"What? Mila, no! There won't _be_ any developments! We've simply formed an alliance and we'll be working together to kill off the demons on the island."

Mila crossed her arms and lifted her chin up in defiance.

"Viktor Dimitrievich Nikiforov, you _will_ keep me updated on these developments or I shall be forced to use the animals to spy on you. Would you rather just be upfront with me or spend every day looking at every bug and bird in suspicion?"

The King groaned even louder. He should have known better than to think he could slip something past eagle-eyed Mila.

"Ugh, fine! IF anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

Mila smiled triumphantly before she unfolded her arms.

"Great! I knew you'd eventually see things my way! Now, I want to know everything that's happened since you first met him."

The King was about to open his mouth in protest when he was saved by Minami's voice at the tent's entrance.

"King Sama! Sorry to disturb you, but Nishigori Yuuko San is awake and Emperor Katsuki Sama would like to convene with you and Squire Plisetsky San."

The King breathed out a sigh of relief, happy to have dodged the bullet for now.

"You heard the man, Mila. My presence is required elsewhere."

"You lucky little bastard. This isn't over, you know. I expect a full report as soon as you're available again. And don't try and put his off, either. I can always find out what you're up to!"

The King shook his head in dismay as he left the tent. Mila could be utterly terrifying when she set her mind to it.

…

Five people currently filled the Nishigori tent. Well, five people and one adorable fox kit. The space was a bit cramped but everyone managed to find enough space to stand comfortably. Squire Plisetsky was currently in the dogeza position at Takeshi Nishigori's feet.

"Mister Nishigori, I am deeply regretful for the disrespect I purple...purpot..."

The King stood nearby and coughed softly into his hand. "Perpetrated."

The Emperor smiled secretly at him, while doing his best to keep a straight face.

"I am deeply regretful for the disrespect I have perpetrated against your wife and the horrible turmoil I brought to your family. Please forgive my foolishness. I shall never disrespect your wife nor any other woman ever again."

Takeshi Nishigori nodded once and motioned for the young Squire to rise.

"I thank you, young Squire, for choosing to apologize to me in the way of my people. We have all been young and foolish on at least one occasion. I look forward to seeing you keep your word and how you show your remorse."

Next was Yuuko Nishigori, and the young Squire actually trembled as he performed the dogeza at her feet.

"Mis'ess Nishigori, I am so terribly sorry for the indignity I have put you through. I had no right to touch you without consent, and for that I am eternally sorry. I hope that you can find it in your generous heart to forgive me."

Yuuko stared at the young man before her for a long time before she spoke.

"I will decide on whether or not I forgive you after I see for myself what kind of man you really are."

She then turned to the King and bowed deeply toward him.

"King Nikiforov Sama, may I ask that you entrust the care and servitude of your subject to me until I can fully assess his worth as a human?"

The King gestured dismissively with his right hand, a large smile on his face.

"Sure! You may keep him for as long as you deem fit."

The Squire was suddenly on his feet, staring at the King in disbelief.

"Wait...what? I apologized, why...ow!"

The young Squire suddenly found himself elbowed sharply in the ribs by the King of the Ice Dragons.

"I have agreed to the arrangement. You shall, from this point on, follow every single instruction, demand, command and order from Yuuko Nishigori. You are to remain in this arrangement until the lady decides that she has sufficiently judged your worth. This is a direct order from me, as your King."

The young Squire could only stare at the King in disbelief. He wondered for a minute if the man had just lost his damn mind. _He had done the dogeza thing, he had apologized to them both...why was it still not over?_

The Hanyou Kitsune smiled and bowed deeply to the King.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness. You are very kind to grant my request so readily."

She then turned to Squire Plisetsky, a wicked smile playing upon her lips.

"Since we'll be going into battle soon, I'll need to prepare a rather large batch of potions and antidotes. I'm going to need help getting everything ready, so you're going to be my assistant. Meet me here tomorrow before sunrise. We start before dawn."

The young Squire's jaw nearly hit the ground. _Before sunrise? He hadn't been awake before sunrise in...ever!_ He looked up to the heavens in dismay, feeling for the first time that the Gods must really hate him.


	27. The First War Council

The three representatives from the Phoenix Clan and the three representatives from the Ice Dragon Clan all filed solemnly into the Emperor's tent. It was a momentous event, the first of its kind, and one that would be remembered for generations to come. The six members of the first inter-clan war council stood around the strategy board in the Emperor's tent. It was an exact replica of the island, complete with mountains, valleys, rivers and landmarks. They would use it to determine the position and movement of each team. The Emperor and King both stood tall at the head of the table, with the Emperor addressing the group first.

"Welcome everyone to this first joint war council. Our two clans have formed an official alliance and have agreed to work together to rid this island, neutral territory unclaimed by both of our continents, of the demon filth that has laid claim to it."

The King cleared his throat before taking over for the second half of the announcement.

"The Emperor and I have decided to create mixed teams, comprising of members from both of our clans. We will be working together closely from now on to free humanity of this demon scourge that has gone on for far longer than it should ever have. It is important to therefore establish a unified front from the start, and get used to working with each other as soon as possible."

The Emperor unrolled a piece of parchment, and began listing off the teams.

"General Altin will lead a team with Yuuko Nishigori, as well as 2 soldiers from my clan and 2 soldiers from the Ice Dragon clan. Takeshi Nishigori will lead a team with Lancer Nekola, as well as 3 soldiers from my clan and 3 soldiers from the Ice Dragon clan. King Nikiforov will head a team with Minako Okukawa and Sara Crispino as well as 2 soldiers from each clan."

The Emperor turned to the King then, to pose him an important question.

"King Nikiforov, there are currently three ice dragons with questionable clearance for participation in this battle. They are your subjects and therefore, you know them best. I would like you to choose one of them to join Minami and myself on my own team."

The King tapped his lips with an index finger as he mulled over his options. Squire Plisetsky was definitely out of the question. That brat would have to re-earn the privilege of taking part in any kind of mission or battle in the future. Michele Crispino would most likely be in recovery for quite some time. His demonic possession had been quite severe and he would not be at his full strength for quite some time. That left Mila. As much as he didn't want her involved in something so soon after her health scare, she was the most viable option of the three. Since the Emperor had absolutely insisted on the two assassins being with him on his own team, Mila's powers would actually be quite helpful to the Emperor in terms of being able to assist him with espionage and tracking the enemy's movements.

"I believe that Princess Babicheva would be the best option for your team, Your Majesty. I'll have a word with her later and ask her if…"

"I accept!"

Six heads turned to the source of the sudden voice coming from the tent's entrance. The King cursed in his native Russki under his breath and fought the urge to cover his face with both hands.

"Mila! What are you doing here? We're in the middle of a war council!"

Mila crossed her arms and tilted her chin up in defiance.

"I am feeling rather _perturbed_ , King Nikiforov, that I, your personal adviser was not invited to this war council."

The King didn't get a chance to reply to Mila's complaint, for in the very next second, the Emperor sashayed past him in an elegant rustle of robes, stopping just before the elven princess and bowing deeply toward her.

"Princess Babicheva, it brings me great joy to see you doing so well. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the war council."

The Emperor looked up to stare at the slightly surprised princess. She had not expected him to address her directly, nor be so accommodating regarding such an official meeting. _Interesting. This one knows the protocol, but chooses to act according to his own whims. I can see why Viktor would be intrigued by that. He may just have found a kindred spirit!_

"Please do not be upset with your King, dear princess, I did not wish to have you disturbed while you recovered from your ordeal. I was also not aware of your position of high trust within the King's court, please forgive me for my ignorance."

The Emperor held out a hand and Mila accepted the invitation, placing her smaller hand in his. The Emperor brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it, causing little shivers to run down her spine. When he lifted his eyes to look at her, she felt all her irritation instantly melt away. Mila smiled, it had been a long time since she'd met someone who had come even close to charming her so utterly. She stared at the monarch currently standing in front of her, scrutinizing his features appreciatively. The man's eyes were simply stunning, a rich cherry wood color with the faintest traces of golden flecks mixed in. Her eyes took in the long ebony hair, pulled back in a loose ponytail and decorated with a solitary pin with what appeared to be a phoenix feather dangling from it. The hair was very well taken care of and it shone and glistened in the light cast by the torches and oil lamps. Mila approved of this man. She approved wholeheartedly.

"Please, Emperor Katsuki, do not depreciate yourself so. I owe you my life after all, Your Majesty. King Nikiforov is a rather forgetful man and has often been known to…"

The young princess leaned out her upper body to stare pointedly at the red-faced King standing at the back of the room.

"…Neglect to inform people of _important_ details."

The King in question grumbled to himself under his breath as he remained stoically flushed. General Altin and Lancer Nekola kept their eyes respectfully averted, while Yuuko and Minako exchanged amused looks.

The Emperor smiled again and Mila was struck by how beautiful the man was.

"Ah, fair Princess, we all have our own little character flaws. They're part of what makes us what we are. I believe that your King has a heart of gold though, does he not?"

Mila looked over at the King once more, smiling smugly when she saw the color returning to his face once more. _Ohhh, he's got it bad._

"Indeed he does, Emperor Katsuki. He is not only kind, but very just. He's quite easy on the eyes, too. That helps a lot, wouldn't you say?"

The King rapped the table with his knuckles, drawing attention to himself and task at hand once more.

"As much as I would love to stand here and listen to you both… ***ahem*** …sing my praises, we have a war council to finish."

The King turned, contrite, to the Emperor.

"Please forgive Princess Babicheva's intrusion, Emperor Katsuki. She is a rather headstrong woman and dances to the beat of her own drum. Does she have your explicit permission to join our war council?"

"Yes, Princess Babicheva has my permission to join our war council. And, worry not King Nikiforov, I take no offense to the lady's intrusion. I know a thing or two about headstrong women."

Yuuko giggled at the statement and Minako made a derisive snort. The Emperor retook his position at the head of the table and Mila joined General Altin and Lancer Nekola on the Ice Dragon side. The council continued as planned and soon everyone was fully briefed and provided with a map of the land. Azami, Momiji and Ciocco would be used to relay messages in between the various teams in case of any changes to the plan or if any crucial new information needed to be communicated. All teams would meet in the open meadow just outside the camp border at sunrise the next morning. Leaders would get the chance to get acquainted with all the members of their team and relay the battle plan to each individual. They would practice their formations and signals and also get to warm up before heading out.

The war council ended and all members were dismissed. As everyone stepped out of the tent, they saw that the sun had just set and that there was now a bonfire crackling from the center of the camp. Minami had been waiting for them nearby and stepped up to them once they were all out. He bowed to the group and motioned toward the bonfire.

"Good evening Royal Samas and esteemed guests. A table has been prepared for all of you as well as for our other special guests. Please follow me, dinner service will begin shortly."

The group of seven, led by the Emperor and the King, followed Minami toward the designated dinner area. There was a long table with seven seats prepared and a smaller table with just five seats perpendicular to it and slightly off to the side. Tree trunks had been re-purposed as benches and there were cloth mats laid out on the ground as well. Once the Emperor and King went to stand at the middle of the main table, all rose and bowed to their respective leaders. The Emperor sat first, followed by the King and then the others at the the head table. The smaller table was occupied by Takeshi Nishigori, Minami, Captain Fujimoto, Squire Plisetsky, and Sara Crispino. Michele Crispino had still not regained consciousness and had been left to rest at the medical tent. Once those at the two tables were fully seated, all the others at the camp took their seats as well. The Ice Dragons chose to sit on the large logs while the Phoenix Clan members preferred to sit on the cloth mats.

The food was first served to the head table and then guest table. A mix of different dishes from both continents had been prepared and it looked like a veritable mouth-watering feast. The dishes from Orientalis tended to feature fish, seafood and vegetables. The dishes from Occidentis seemed more focused on land animals and fowl. The King took time to explain to the Emperor and his two lady companions that the meats were wild boar, venison and pheasants. They were animals that were native and available in the mountains near the castle. A plate that did not contain any meat was placed in front of Princess Babicheva. The Emperor noticed this and asked the King, seated to his right, why this was.

"Mila's powers allow her to hear the thoughts of all animals and communicate with them in return. She views the animals as her friends and therefore deems it unethical to consume their flesh."

The Emperor looked at all the meat on the table and was surprised.

"Does she not find all this meat offensive? I can have her moved to another area if it's a problem."

The King smiled at the Emperor. The man was really quite considerate. There had been times in which he had attended social functions with Mila at other kingdoms and none of them had even spared a passing thought to her dietary choices.

"You don't seem surprised by her choice not to eat meat, why is that?"

"Ah, in Orientalis there are certain holy men, men of the cloth if you will, that choose to live a vegetarian lifestyle. It is not an uncommon occurrence. I will inform my staff of this new development and they will prepare something appropriate for her."

"Thank you, dear Emperor. Your kindness and consideration for others is truly inspiring."

...

Wine and warm sake were served and soon there was a jovial atmosphere around the camp. Soldiers from the Ice Dragon camp, curious about their new allies, struck up conversation with the Phoenix Clan soldiers and soon there was loud chatter and laughter echoing around the bonfire. It was a happy, but controlled celebration, as all would be rising quite early in the following morning. The food service finally came to and end and the fire was put out. Cloth mats were picked up and put away, and logs were rolled off to the side. The Ice Dragon delegates were shown to their respective tents and the Phoenix Clan members retired to their own quarters. Everyone ended the evening happily sated and slightly buzzed from the alcohol that had been served. And, although things had ended earlier than usual and everyone seemed to be turning in for the night strangely early, tomorrow was going to be a very big day. Last-minute preparations were made and there were still a few lanterns lit an hour or so after dinner ended. Finally, a blanket of quiet settled over the camp and all its residents slept.

The sun would rise at dawn, and with it so would humanity's hope. The demons' days on Earth were now numbered. They would see, starting tomorrow, just how powerful 'lowly' humans could be.


	28. The Dawn of Hope

_**A/N: GAHHHH, work suuuuucksssss. Endless meetings ate up all my writing time. Hopefully things will calm down this week and I can focus on writing again!**_

A grumpy, semi-conscious Squire trudged to the rendezvous point in the darkness. His shoulders were slumped and his feet dragged behind him with each step. As he came closer to the Nishigori's tent, he saw a dark outline out in front and realized that Mrs. Nishigori was already there waiting for him. He readjusted the shoulder strap on his bow, suppressing a yawn as he picked up his ambling pace a bit. His bow had been returned to him the night before, and he had been absolutely ecstatic. He'd had that bow for nearly a decade and it was like an extension of his left arm. He was intimately familiar with every little aspect of the weapon, from the tensile strength of the string to the weight of the quiver on his back. It felt like he had his best friend back and it brought him a great sense of comfort.

"Good morning, Squire Plisetsky. I hope that this pre-dawn morning finds you well."

"How does _anyone_ function at this time in the day?"

Yuuko sighed as she took in the tired-looking young man before her. By the looks of things, he'd most likely had never had to wake up this early before. From what she'd gathered, he was the quintessential spoiled rich brat. Someone who always wanted to have things his way and turned his nose up at authority. Yuuri always told her to not judge people so quickly, and to give them the benefit of the doubt, but so far the young man had only left her with negative impressions. This morning was already not getting off to a good start. She needed an alert and observant helper, not some golden-haired kyonshi*. _Breathe…try to relax…you have little yōkai triplets back home, and you've survived them just fine. Surely you can handle_ _ **one**_ _ice dragon._

"Have you eaten, young man?"

"Yes, a servant brought some food to my tent."

"Excellent."

Yuuko reached into her shoulder bag and took out another bag that was identical to hers. She held it out to the Squire and he took it from her.

"We have a lot of herbs and materials to gather in a very short time. I hope that you can keep up."

Before the Squire could formulate a reply, the fox woman turned on her heel and took off running. Cursing under his breath, he scrambled into a run and scampered after her. If he hadn't been awake before, he certainly was _now_.

…

Twenty minutes of running in darkness later, the fox woman mercifully came to a stop. The young Squire nearly moaned in relief as his torture finally ended. He was woefully out of shape, not having done any strenuous activity since long before he'd left Occidentis. He cursed himself for not having taken part in any of the endurance training the Master Archer had scheduled for him. The man was always nagging him about being in top physical shape, but he had just blown him off. He couldn't be forced to go, so he didn't. He saw archers as stationary fighters who depended more on accuracy and the ability to rapid-fire arrows rather than their ability to run up and down mountains. He'd figured that he was young and healthy enough and didn't need to be getting up at dawn to train. How wrong he'd been. His poor conditioning had made him an easy target for a demon's poison dagger and now found himself doubled over, gasping and heaving for air to fill his burning lungs. He was utterly exhausted after his bout of pre-dawn calisthenics.

"There's a stream just north of here. Go get yourself a cold drink and meet me back here when you're done. Don't take too long, we have work to do."

Squire Plisetsky nodded and then took one big breath and let it out slowly. He straightened up his back and walked off in the direction the fox woman had indicated. Within a few minutes he reached the stream and eagerly bent over the water, scooping some up into his cupped hands to first splash onto his face before bringing a fresh batch up to his lips. The cool water stung his throat a bit as it went down, but was so refreshing that he drank it down greedily anyway. Once he'd had enough to sate his thirst, he stood back up and actually took the time to survey his surroundings. It was still dark and so he couldn't see colors or details, but he could tell that they were in a mountain meadow of sorts. The cool air still carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine and datura flowers. He took another deep breath, allowing the scents to wash over him and bring him calm. He wiped his hands on his trousers and then headed back to the fox woman.

She was waiting for him, arms crossed and a rather unimpressed look on her face. He knew that the woman disliked him, her annoyance practically rolled off her in waves. Normally he wouldn't give a flying shit about what someone thought of him, but he'd earned her animosity fair and square and actually felt guilty about it since she'd saved his life. He was going to have to swallow his pride for a change and do whatever it took for her to accept his apology.

"I'm sorry if I took too long. I was...uh...thirstier than I thought."

The fox woman grunted in response and handed him a small leafy plant.

"This is what we will focus on first. It's a plant used in the poultice for wound healing. We'll need quite a large amount of them since there are so many more of us now. Try and find as many of these as quickly as you can."

The young Squire held the plant in his hand and sensed his lignum magic activate. He could feel the residual energy of the plant pulsing in his hand. It had been recently picked and so it was quite easy to read. He then knelt down on the ground and placed his palm flat on the soil. He closed his eyes and sifted through the different plant energies swirling beneath his fingertips until he found the matching type of energy. He isolated the energy until he had a clear idea of where it was most intense. When he opened his eyes, he pointed toward the east.

"There's a big patch of them just over that way. It feels like they're next to a big tree or something."

Yuuko was shocked, her mouth nearly dropping open in the process. She had not expected such skills from the young man.

"You are a lignum magic user?"

The Squire rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly as he looked up at the fox woman.

"Yeah. It kinda manifested a few years ago when I began archery training. People kept trying to get me to take up metallic weapons, but I hated every single one of them. Things only made sense after I managed to get my hands on a wooden bow."

"Well, it's a very welcome surprise and suits our purposes perfectly. We'll be able to gather herbs much faster than I had anticipated. Even with my heightened sense of smell, it takes a while to isolate specific plants."

"Ah, what a relief. I was starting to feel a bit useless."

The fox woman turned to face him, her chestnut eyes fixing him with a piercing gaze.

"No one is useless. Everything and everyone serves _some_ kind of purpose. If you've been feeling useless, young Squire, perhaps you should review the circumstances that have left you feeling so."

She turned in the direction he'd indicated earlier and took off running once more. The Squire groaned, wondering not for the first time if the woman _ever_ just walked somewhere instead of running. He readjusted his bow and then begrudgingly took off after her once more. They worked silently and efficiently, the fox woman handing him sample after sample of what they needed, and the young Squire's ability guiding them accurately to each new picking area. The sky began to grow light as the first rays of dawn swept across their mountain, revealing to the Squire that they were in a verdant and fertile valley. He stared, in awe, as the color returned slowly to the world around him. First, the dawn painted the landscape in hues of orange and yellow. As the sun rose higher on the horizon, the sun's light became whiter and the natural shades of the world around him became clear. He gasped, completely mesmerized.

"It's...beautiful."

Yuuko looked at the young man, a smile gracing her lips for the first time that morning. He looked so innocently awestruck at the moment and she realized just how sheltered he was.

"Yes, it is. We'll probably need to come back here at some point for more supplies, so you'll get another chance to experience it. But for now we are done, and should start heading back the mountain. I need to report to the training session and organize my team."

The Squire nodded, drinking in one last glance of the scenery before turning his back on the sunrise an heading down the mountain back to camp.

…

A fully armored Emperor pushed his way past his lodging's tent flap, stopping to admire the sunrise before heading toward the camp gate. His holy Phoenix sword, Megami no Kiba ***** ,was securely strapped to his left hip along with a regular katana. The regular katana could be easily imbued with flames and was used to take down lower-ranked enemies. The holy sword was reserved for the more powerful enemies as it tended to draw out an enormous amount of magical power from its user.

Emperor Katsuki's reports all indicated that there was a rather high-ranked demon general and lieutenant at the stronghold, and he was actually feeling rather relieved that the King was here to assist. They would each be able to take down one of the major targets without overextending their powers. As the Emperor rounded the corner, he nearly literally ran into the King. His eyes were immediately drawn to the monarch's armor, clunky-looking metal pieces that looked heavy and not very mobile. At the same time, the King's gaze was drawn to the Emperor's armor and he was shocked by how sparse and lacking it was. They both opened their mouths and spoke at the same time.

"Don't you think that armor is..."

"...too much?", asked the Emperor.

"...too little?", asked the King.

Two sets of eyes widened comically before they both burst into laughter. The King was the first to recover and speak.

"It appears we both have differing opinions on armor. Forgive me, dear Emperor, but does that particular set offer you proper protection?"

The Emperor smiled at the King, finding the man's show of concern rather charming.

"Indeed it does, dear King."

The King eyed his armor skeptically.

"But you look so... _exposed_. Anyone could breach your defenses."

The Emperor's smile grew wider. It would make sense that someone from Occidentis would find armor from Orientalis strange or lacking in defense, even. His armor was custom-made to his body and his needs and covered him like a second skin. It was perfectly adapted to his fighting style.

"Ah, but that would require them to catch me _first_."

The King smirked, suddenly _very_ curious about the Emperor's fighting abilities. One didn't get away with wearing minimal armor unless they were quick or stealthy enough to not need it.

"Would you care to humor me with a little bit of sparring this morning then, Emperor Katsuki?"

The Emperor couldn't really say that he was surprised by the King's request. He wasn't the first one, nor would be the last, to underestimate him based on his choice of light armor.

"Certainly, dear King. Nothing would please me more. Let's head out to the training area and make sure everyone is organized first."

The King clapped his hands together, tilting his head sideways as he beamed at the Emperor.

"Great!"

…

Once everyone had split up into their assigned groups and received the briefing from the leaders, they held their own warm-up and practice. After all preparations were complete, word that the Emperor of Orientalis and the King of Occidentis were going to have a sparring match spread through the camp like wildfire. A circle of spectators formed out in the clearing and the Emperor stepped out from one end as the King came out of the other. No announcements were made and the crowd fell into a hushed silence. The two monarchs met up at the middle of their 'battlefield' and bowed to one another before shaking hands.

The King spoke as squared off against the Emperor.

"I'm going to point out all the flaws in your armor, dear Emperor. I hope you're prepared."

"I would love nothing more than to be able to agree with you King Nikiforov, but your clunky armor is no match for me."

"O-ho! Such brazen words! I shall make you eat them."

The King drew his sword and took up an offensive stance. The Emperor crossed his arms behind him and stood with feet slightly apart. The King looked over at him, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Aren't you going to...um...draw your sword?"

The Emperor shook his head.

"It is not necessary at this time."

The King's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. The man before him was an unshakable pillar of genuine confidence. He wasn't bluffing at all, that much was clear. _Well, I guess I don't need to hold back then._

The King lunged forward with his sword, his strike directed at the Emperor's exposed shoulder. He blinked, puzzled, when his sword met with a sudden empty space. He turned his head and saw the Emperor, in the same stance as before, standing nonchalantly to his left. _What the hell? How did he end up over_ _ **there**_ _?_ The King squared his shoulders and began circling the Emperor predatorily. The man didn't even bother turning to face him. Once he'd made his way to directly behind the Emperor, he lunged. Once again, his sword was met with nothingness. He found the man again, standing off to his right this time. Feeling properly miffed, he launched into a barrage or lunges and strikes, growing increasingly frustrated by his inability to land a blow and by the fact that the Emperor still hadn't drawn his sword. _What a slippery eel this man is! He won't sit still enough for me to strike him!_

The King looked around, trying to see if there was anything nearby that he could use to his advantage. He noticed a rather large tree about 20 paces to the east and decided to herd the Emperor toward it and hopefully use it to his advantage. It took quite a bit of maneuvering, but he'd finally managed to get the Emperor nearly backed up against it. He pulled his sword back, ready to lunge forward. The Emperor smiled... _smiled_ at him before he turned around, _ran up a tree_ and then flipped backward off it like it was nothing. Before he had the time to determine if what his eyes had seen had actually happened or not, he felt the slightest prick of a sharp object at the back of his neck.

"I believe in Occidentis you say 'check mate'?"

 **_terminology_**  
 **kyonshi** \- from the Chinese word jianshi – a "hopping" zombie , is a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. It is typically depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing Dynasty, and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their ki, or "life force", usually at night, while in the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves.  
 **Yōkai** \- "ghost"; "phantom"; "strange apparition", are a class of supernatural spirits and demons in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "bewitching; attractive; calamity" and "spectre; apparition; mystery; suspicious". They can also be called ayakashi, mononoke or mamono. Yōkai range diversely from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them.

Megami no Kiba – Goddess Fang


	29. The God Claw

Mila covered her mouth as she tried to keep her laughter under control. She would have slapped her knee and guffawed if she could have, but being surrounded by so many foreign dignitaries just before a battle required _some_ decorum. She had just watched Viktor get his ass handed to him by an opponent who didn't even draw his sword until the very end of the match. The King's skill with the sword was well-known throughout the kingdom, and not even General Altin could best him in a match. This very one-sided loss was going to sting him for a while. Mila sensed some movement to her right and looked up to see the Orientalis assassin woman suddenly standing next to her. She'd seen her at the war council and around camp a few other times but hadn't really had any personal interactions with her. The woman had long and lustrous brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She was tall and lithe, her athletic build and toned muscles clearly contoured by her skintight garment. When the woman turned to look at her, Mila was fixed by intense stormy-gray eyes.

"My name is Minako Okukawa, Royal Shinobi. I don't believe we've been formally introduced yet, Princess."

Mila extended her hand and Minako enveloped it in a firm handshake.

"Mila Babicheva, Princess of Kyaltaesi. It's a pleasure to meet you Okukawa san."

"Likewise, Princess."

Minako gestured over to the pair of monarchs out in the field.

"I taught him that move, you know."

The corner of Mila's mouth quirked up and she smiled.

"Did you, now? I must say, it was most impressive. I don't think King Nikiforov had expected anything like that at all."

The assassin woman smiled back her, the action causing her eyes to crinkle with mirth and draw attention to the small mole under her left eye.

"The difference in fighting style between our two kingdoms is rather polarizing. In Occidentis, physical strength and prowess are valued above everything else. Fighters will square up to one another and just hack away at each other until the strongest one wins. In Orientalis, we strive for a balance of skills. We are taught from a very young age to use things other than strength to win, and not to rely on any one particular skill. Inevitably, there will always be at least one adversary that is stronger than you, but you must be able to defeat that adversary, regardless."

"Hmm, that is a very sound strategy. The best warriors have a wide skill set and can be resourceful during battle. Your kingdom's warriors are indeed quite impressive. The King had been expecting to be addressed head on, and was not at all prepared for the Emperor's evasiveness and agility. And, although I doubt he is happy about the loss, he has definitely learned from it."

"What kind of man is he, your King?"

Mila's gaze shifted over to the silver haired sovereign, and she smiled wistfully. The question was not unexpected, it made sense that the Emperor's subjects would be curious about a foreign leader who had suddenly stormed into their lives and formed an alliance with them. Thankfully, Mila didn't really need to sugar coat anything or try to talk Viktor up or anything.

"The King is a very fair and just man. He has inner strength as well as physical strength. He rules his kingdom with an iron fist and an open heart. I have great respect for him and gladly serve him."

Minako nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"That is reassuring. He shares many qualities with our very own Emperor. I think that they will be very good together."

Mila smirked cryptically as she eyed the two men.

"Oh, I think they already are."

…

The King sheathed his sword and felt the pressure of the Emperor's own sword leave his neck. He turned around to face the man, an unreadable expression on his face. He hadn't suffered a loss in eons and the defeat left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd lost by a landslide in front of everyone and was trying his damdest to not let the mortification show. When his eyes met the Emperor's, he saw nothing but kindness and respect in them. There was no pity in them, and he was neither smug nor gloating. Before he could say anything the Emperor took his hand and raised it high into the air with his own.

"Let's all have a round of applause for King Nikiforov of Occidentis!"

The crowd burst into loud cheering and clapped enthusiastically for the monarch. The Emperor lowered the King's hand and took a few steps out in front of him.

"The King fought valiantly and did well to keep me on my toes for the whole battle. He is a worthy adversary and did spectacularly well for someone taking on a ninja for the first time."

The members of the ice dragon clan all gasped at the sudden revelation that the Emperor was also a ninja. There was nervous chattering and excited murmuring within the crowd as they processed the new information.

"…our King just took on a ninja and lived!"

"…he's right, our King forced him to keep moving at all times!"

"…he's the first ice dragon to take on a ninja! Incredible!"

The Emperor bowed deeply to the crowd before putting his hand up in a gesture for silence.

"You have all completed your preparations and been allotted time to practice and get acquainted with your squads."

The Emperor reached for Megami no Kiba and pulled it out of its scabbard with a flourish. The air around it crackled with energy and the blade glowed bright red as flames burned on its surface. The crowd was mesmerized by the stunning blade, whispering quietly amongst themselves at the power radiating from it.

"The time has come for us to move out and defeat the demons! Prepare to move out!"

The crowd cheered loudly, raising their own swords and assorted weapons into the air before breaking off into their groups once more and lining up at the camp entrance. The King stood there, his jaw just about hanging down to the ground. _The Emperor is also… a_ **ninja** _?_ The man in question was suddenly standing before him and he looked up. He was incredulous. He's just gone from trying to figure out how he was ever going to be able to show his face to his subjects again, to being applauded. The Emperor had just royally helped him save face in front of everyone present.

"Are you really a ninja?!"

The Emperor smiled at him as he sheathed his phoenix sword.

"I am. I would lie about any training I've received, King Nikiforov."

The King put his hands up in front of him and waved them frantically about.

"I didn't mean to imply that you were lying! Sorry, sorry!"

"No offense taken. I spent three years training with Minako, the Royal Shinobi…or ninja as you know them. She taught me the basics and was able to bring me up to an amateur level. Enough that I would be able to use the skills to my advantage should the need arise."

The King's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets to join the jaw that was still on the ground. Amateur level? That was _amateur_?! The King shuddered at the thought of what one operating on a _professional_ level would be capable of.

"Are you ready to move out, King?"

The King straightened up and readjusted his cape and armor before nodding to the Emperor.

"Pardon my curiosity, King Nikiforov, but where is your dragon sword?"

The King looked a bit embarrassed as he sheepishly eyed the Emperor.

"It's…back at the castle. I didn't think that I would be needing it on the expedition to locate Squire Plisetsky. I did not foresee a run-in and then future alliance with the Phoenix Clan."

"That's understandable. Why don't you go ahead and summon it then, I'll wait."

The King stared at the Emperor as if he'd grown a second head.

"Summon it? What do you mean?"

It was the Emperor's turn to look shocked as both eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"You weren't taught how to summon your own sword?"

The King was very confused. _A sword is a sword, you can't just make it appear out of thin air, can you?_

The Emperor was also feeling quite confused. Sword summoning is one of the first basic skills that is passed on to each new user once they come of the age to inherit it. He could see that the King was genuinely surprised by this new information and came to the conclusion that something out of the ordinary must have happened at the time the prior Ice Dragon sword user passed the sword on to him.

"Something happened to the previous sword user and he was unable to teach you how to fully harness all its powers, correct?"

The King was surprised at how quickly the Emperor had managed to come to that conclusion. He hadn't mentioned a single thing about his father nor given anything away about his family.

"Yes, I suppose it did."

The Emperor sensed that whatever had happened in the King's past was not something he wanted to talk about, so he decided to leave it alone.

"Would you like me to teach you? It's really quite simple to do."

The King's eyes lit up at the Emperor's offer.

"Yes, please!"

The Emperor looked around and saw Minami standing nearby.

"Kenjiro, come here please."

The excitable little bundle of energy's eyes widened comically before his face burst into a goofy grin and he scampered over as quickly as he feet could carry him.

"Emperor Katsuki Sama! How may I be of assistance?"

The Emperor removed the Phoenix sword from his belt and handed it to the young man.

"Take my sword to my tent, as fast as your feet can carry you."

The young man nodded enthusiastically and ran off at top speed as soon as the sword was fully placed in his hand.

"His boundless energy really does come in handy sometimes!"

The King chuckled. Curious to see where the Emperor was going with things. A few more seconds passed and the King wondered what the holdup was.

"Wait for it…"

"I did it Emperor Saaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaa!"

The young bundle of immeasurable stamina came barreling back toward them in record time, and didn't even appear to be out of breath.

"Thank you Kenjiro. You are efficient as always."

The young man's eyes sparkled and glistened at the Emperor's praise, and the King could clearly see the adoration in them. The Emperor was everything to that young man, and he wondered how he had achieved such levels of adoration.

"Thank you Kenjiro. That will be all. Please gather the Princess and the other soldiers in our group. I will join you all shortly."

"Yes, Emperor Sama!"

The young man ran off once more, leaving the two monarchs to their task.

"Alright King Nikiforov, I am going to describe the process to you as I perform it. Please pay close attention."

The King nodded and watched intently as the Emperor closed his eyes.

"First I picture the sword in my hand. Its length, its weight, its minute details and even the way it shines in the light."

The King's eyes widened as he saw wisps of fire magic escaping the Emperor's palm and start taking the shape of a sword.

"Once I have fully envisioned the sword in my hand, I will call out to it and summon it by name."

The Emperor's eyes flew open as he shouted for his sword.

"女神の牙、帰り!"

One bright flash of reddish light later, the Emperor's sword was magically back in his hand.

"Ебена мать! черт!"

If he hadn't just witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it possible. He had no idea that he'd had the ability to summon his sword in all the years he'd owned it. It made him wonder just what else his sword was capable of. The Emperor re-attached the Phoenix sword to his hip and turned to face the King.

"Now, you try."

The King readily closed his eyes as he tried to recreate the Emperor's actions. He brought up the image of himself holding the sword in his hand, which ended up being quite easy to do. He'd been intimately familiar with the sword since the day it had been passed down to him by one of his father's attendants. He'd stared at it for hours, admiring its craftsmanship and memorizing every intricate little detail.

"Good, King Nikiforov, very good. Keep recalling as much as you can about your sword. It's a bit far away from you at the moment, so you'll need to focus extra hard on the details."

The King redoubled his efforts and formed a more complete picture of the sword in his mind. It got to the point where he could practically feel its familiar weight in his hand.

"Now, call out for your sword!"

The King opened his eyes as he commanded his sword back into his hand.

"Божий коготь, вернуть!"

A flash of blue light burst forth from his hand and the Bozhiy Kogot was back in his hand, as if it hadn't just been in another continent.

"Wow! That's..."

The King's sword pulsed, a low hum emitting from it as it glowed bright blue. The Emperor's sword also pulsed, in a slightly higher pitch, as it also glowed. The Emperor looked up at the King, the shock and surprise clearly etched on his face.

"Has your sword ever done that before?"

"No. Has yours?"

"No. This is the first time I have ever seen it do this."

The swords pulsed and thrummed back and forth at each other, glowing brighter and louder whenever they got closer to each other.

The Emperor was entranced.

"It's like they're..."

"...talking to each other."

_terminology_

女神の牙、帰り! (Megami no Kiba, kaeri!) – Goddess Fang, return!

Ебена мать! черт! (Yebena mat'! Chert!) – Holy shit! Damn!

Божий коготь, вернуть (Bozhiy Kogot, vernut'!) – God Claw, return!


	30. The Battle Begins

"Your Royal Majesties! Forgive the intrusion, but we're ready to move out."

Both monarchs looked up to see a guard standing at attention just off to their right. The Emperor sighed, feeling a bit frustrated that he wouldn't be able to address the matter of their swords until after the battle was concluded.

"I'm sorry King Nikiforov, but it appears that this matter will have to wait until later. As much as I would love to give this sudden development my undivided attention, we have a battle to fight and that takes precedence over anything else."

The King sighed, but nodded.

"I agree wholeheartedly. As intrigued and…morbidly curious…as I am at the moment, we do have other pressing matters to attend to."

The Emperor bowed to the King and the foreign ruler returned the gesture.

"In Iaponica speech we have an expression we say before battle: jaku niku kyō shoku. It means: the weak are meat, the strong eat."

The King laughed.

"I like the sound of that! Your language is certainly very interesting! We'll need to exchange some proverbs after battle."

The Emperor smiled, a gesture the King felt he could never get enough of, even if given an eternity.

"I'd like that very much, King Nikiforov. Till we meet after battle!"

"Till we meet after battle!"

…

All five teams set off from the camp at once and then split up and took different routes to their assigned point of attack. Team Alpha (α) was led by General Altin and Yuuko, team Beta (β) was led by Takeshi and Lancer Nekola, and team Gamma (γ) was led by Fujimoto San and the other three Royal Guards. Team Dragon was of course led by the King and Team Phoenix was spearheaded by the Emperor. Team Alpha and Team Beta were charged with attacking head on and killing off the grunts, archers and foot soldiers. They would draw all the attention to themselves while Team Dragon would sneak in from the left flank and Team Phoenix would attack from the right flank. Team Gamma would attack from behind the stronghold and kill off any demons that tried to retreat.

Getting transportation for everyone was a bit of a challenge as there weren't quite enough horses to go around. With some creative rearranging, all those who weren't soldiers were able to able to have their passage to the battleground covered. General Altin rode on his magnificent horse; страж*, with Yuuko as his passenger. Takeshi and Lancer Nekola rode together on Hakaku*, who was a healthy and strong Taishō uma, and would be able to handle them both. Minako and Sara rode together on the Shinobi's horse; Shi no Kage*, another fine Taishō uma, black like the shadows of its namesake. Minami took Mila with him on his horse Nariko*, a wild Dosanko uma he had captured and tamed on his own. She was a sturdy, calm and gentle horse, the complete polar opposite of what Minami's temperament was. Perhaps that is why they'd bonded so strongly from the very start. King Nikiforov rode on his silver Akhal-Teke stallion; Вила*, and Emperor Katsuki rode on his Ferghana mare; Shirayuki.

Intelligence that had been previously gathered on the demon stronghold had estimated that there were approximately a hundred or so demons defending it. And, even though the demons clearly outnumbered their mishmash coalition of fighters, their side was definitely packing more firepower, especially with the new additions to their ranks. Once Team Alpha and Team Beta arrived at their designated point of battle, General Altin launched a sachet of colored powder high into the air and Yuuko burst it with one of her arrows. A purple colored powder exploded into the air, filling the space with color before dissipating quickly. The signal was spotted clearly by the other three teams and the battle officially began. As Team Alpha and Team Beta marched forward, a warning alarm was heard being sounded from the demon stronghold. The decision to attack them in the early morning hours had been the best one strategically. Demons were notoriously inactive and sluggish in the early morning hours, as it was usually their time to rest. Demons usually became more active around dusk and their strength and powers tended to peak around the middle of the night. The demons who had consumed the most human souls tended to have better control over this aspect of their lives, but the lower-ranked ones did not. And the front line of the demon's defense was all made up of these kinds of demons.

The Phoenix Clan had done extensive research on the stronghold prior to the Emperor's arrival, and had compiled endless reports on all the intelligence they had collected. They knew their enemy inside and out, while the enemy had not even been aware of their presence. Having a Shinobi who could literally melt in with the shadows and a fox familiar that could blend in with nature had definitely furthered their cause. They were fully prepared for the battle ahead while their enemy was not. Team Dragon and Team Phoenix powered forward along the ridges that framed the shallow valley. If the demons had hoped that the valley's topography would assist in their defense, they had been sorely mistaken. They had not yet set up any lookouts along any ridge, either due to sheer arrogance or the misconception of being alone on the island, leaving them wide open to attack.

As the demons began pouring out of the stronghold, they were immediately cut down. General Altin, Lancer Nekola and Takeshi led the charge, supported by the soldiers on their own teams. The General's ice sword sliced cleanly through its enemies, freezing their remains on the spot before they exploded in a shower of ice crystals. Lancer Nekola was a metallum magi, and the garnet-colored orb embedded in his lance served to magnify his powers. As soon as his lance pierced the body of a demon, the metal contained within it could be made to expand and shoot out in smaller miniature projectiles within the body. They severed any major arteries and veins in their path, effectively mangling the demon from within before retracting. Takeshi's holy staff was used expertly to pummel and bludgeon demons into submission. Once downed, he would pierce them with the sharp tip of his staff, causing their bodies to erupt into blue flames and disintegrate. Soldiers were given Phoenix fire-infused ofuda that they would attach to the demon's bodies once they'd downed them. The ofuda would purify the demon corpses before reducing them to harmless ash.

Yuuko had four other archers with her, and they easily picked off the meager handful of demon archers that had dared to show their faces. Phoenix fire-infused ofuda had been pasted to each archer's arrow, imbuing them with the power to purify as well. Once the demon archers had been eliminated, the group assisted the other soldiers with taking down demons. While the demon foot soldiers were being systematically picked off, the main target cowardly remained inside with the higher-raked fighters and commanded that the stronghold be put on lock down. They fortified the door and barricaded themselves in. Team Phoenix and Team Dragon arrived at the stronghold around the same time, converging at the barricaded door.

The King pulled up next to the Emperor on his horse.

"It appears that we're not going to receive a very hospitable welcome."

The Emperor patted Shirayuki's neck and scratched behind her ears before addressing the King.

"I guess we'll just have to let ourselves in."

"Please, allow _me_ to take care of this first obstacle."

The Emperor nodded and the King dismounted his magnificent silver horse, handing his reins to a nearby soldier. He walked right up to the heavy wooden door, removed his gloves and placed his palms flat against it. At first it didn't appear as if anything was happening, but then it became quite clear that the door was slowly freezing over. Once the door had frozen solid, the King stepped back and clapped his hands together. A thunderous crack filled the air and a large crack formed right down the middle. Smaller cracks radiated out from it, weakening the structure until it finally crumbled into a pile of frozen wood. The King bowed, making a sweeping gesture with his right hand.

"After you, Your Majesty."

"Impressive, King Nikiforov. Well done!"

The Emperor dismounted Shirayuki and handed the reins to one of the soldiers in is team. He drew his normal katana and turned to Minami.

'You and the Princess check the eastern wing of the first floor and make sure it's clear."

He placed a hand on Minami's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Her safety and well-being takes precedence above anything else. She is not defenseless and brings her own set of skills to battle, but she is still considered in recovery and should not be placed in a situation in which she will be required to overexert herself once more. Understood?"

The young man nodded firmly and solemnly before bowing toward the Emperor.

"You have my word, Emperor Katsuki Sama!"

"Good. I knew I could always count on you, Kenjiro."

The Emperor left one soldier behind to look after the horses and sent the others in with Minami and Mila. He would head straight to the second floor with the King. Team Alpha and Team Beta would rendezvous with the others at the stronghold and take care of any stragglers. The King had also left one of his soldiers behind to watch the horses and had sent the two assassins in with the remaining soldiers to check the western wing. Team Gamma was well on its way to the back of the stronghold and everything was falling into place. All that was left to do was to track down the demon Lieutenant and kill him. The Emperor stepped up to the King and readjusted his armor.

"Shall we?"

"We shall."

Swords drawn, the two monarchs entered the building.

...

Demons are unscrupulous and cowardly, facts that have long been known to mankind. They will cheat, use every tool of foul play to their advantage, smile as they stabbed you in the back and always run to save their own hides. So no one in Team Gamma was surprised when they ambushed a small group of demons who had abandoned the comrades in favor of saving themselves. They had frozen in fear as they had come upon the Royal Guardsmen. In battle, surprise is the best element any given side can use to their advantage. And those demons had certainly been surprised, and had not expected them to be there at all. The guards made quick work of them, killing them off before they'd even had the chance to mount a defense. They spread out behind the stronghold, taking up strategic points as they kept watch for any more escapees.

Once the last fighter in the demonic resistance effort had been killed, Team Alpha and Team Beta moved forward to meet the others at the stronghold. Any demon corpse that had not been fully purified was slapped with an ofuda, which quickly took care of the situation. Over in the east wing, a handful of demons had holed themselves up in the weapons room. The door was quite thick and they were having difficulties breaking it down. The Team Dragon members had completed their sweep of the west wing and had not found any demons. When they rounded the corner, they came up on Team Phoenix and immediately saw why. They had all shut themselves in that one room.

Minami was the first to spot them.

"Ah! Okukwawa San, you're here! Perhaps you can help us get this door down."

Minako stepped up to the door and examined it carefully before turning to Sara.

"Do you carry any explosives with you?"

Sara reached into her a pouch attached to her belt and pulled out a pair of sticks with what appeared to be a wick sticking out of it.

"Yes, I have two charges with me."

"Excellent. I also have two with me. We'll set two up at each door hinge and I'll light them up."

Sara nodded as she handed the two sticks to the Shinobi. Minako studied the door hinges carefully before she strategically placed a pair of charges at each one.

"Everyone step back and take cover. Be ready to charge in and take down any of those that rush out. They're in the weapons room, so they have en entire arsenal at their fingertips. Keep an eye out for flying arrows, daggers and the such. You know these guys love to fight dirty, don't get caught flatfooted."

Everyone in attendance retreated and found something to hide behind as Minako summoned flames and lit each fuse. She joined Sara behind a wall and they all waited as the wicks got shorter and shorter. A short while later, a deafening explosion was heard and the hall filled with acrid smoke and splintered pieces of wood. Minami took out his spear and started whirling it around in a circle in front of him. As it picked up speed, it became like a huge fan and helped dissipate the smoke. Once the coast was clear, the two teams came out of hiding and got ready to take on the leftover demons. As it turned out, about three of them had been taken out by the explosion, the concussive blast instantly turning their brains to mush. Minako threw in a purifying herbal bomb into the room and the rest came quickly scurrying out. The herbs used in the packet were extremely irritating to demons and caused their eyes to blister and burn.

Five demons were eliminated as soon as they ran, half blind, out of the room. All was finally silent on the ground floor and everyone was going about purifying the corpses. No one had expected any survivors, and so everyone was caught off-guard when a bubbling pile of demon with oozing and melting skin stumbled out from the dark depths of the smoking weapon room. It came out shrieking, its ear-piercing cry briefly disorienting the group and forcing them to cover their ears.

"Human filth! I'll kill you all!"

It launched a dagger blindly at them and it flew directly at Mila at the back of the group. She stood frozen, paralyzed by fear. Her brain couldn't process what was happening and she knew there wasn't enough time to use her power. She closed her eyes and braced for the pain.

Upstairs, the King and the Emperor stalked the corridors quietly and on high alert. They heard the sounds of more fighting going on outside and surmised that Team Gamma had managed to find some demons trying to escape. Not long after that, an explosion was heard and the floor shook beneath their feet. The King seemed worried and turned to go check on the situation but was stopped by the Emperor's hand to his chest.

"They're fine. They have numbers and experience on their side. That was most likely just a door they'd needed to blast down to get to the last of the demons. I need you up here with me."

The King nodded, trying not to blush at the Emperor's words. _He needs me, huh? Well, I couldn't possibly leave someone who **needs** me._

"I would like for you to take the demon Lieutenant on directly and engage him in battle. I will mask my presence and wait for the best opportunity to strike. Do you agree with this plan?"

"I do. Sounds like a solid plan."

They two monarchs carried on forward and the Emperor motioned to a room just ahead. The King readied his sword and kicked down the door. He quickly checked to make sure the coast was clear before striding into the room. There, on a rather distasteful throne-like chair adorned with human skulls, sat the demon Lieutenant. It spat at the ground as it spotted the King, a snarl immediately forming on its gnarled lips.

"So YOU are the human filth who ruined my chance at promotion. Tell me, mortal scum, what is your name?"

"I am King Viktor Nikiforov, ruler of Occidentis. Your presence is not welcome on this island, and so I have come for your rotting head."

The demon's eyes widened and it did a double take.

"King Nikiforov? The Ice Dragon magic user?"

The King snorted disdainfully.

"Are there any other King Nikiforovs of Occidentis I am unaware of?"

The demon spat at the ground once more before getting up from his throne.

"You will pay for daring to talk back to me, lowly human. Your kind fights and fights us but never wins. You should just accept your inferiority and submit to your future masters."

"A lion may feel irritated by a biting flea, but he would never submit to that insignificant pest."

The demon opened his mouth in a guttural scream as he charged at the king. The monarch quickly sidestepped the attack, parrying the demon's sword easily with his own.

"I will certainly be promoted to General if I bring your head back to the Demon King! This situation is salvageable after all!"

The King stayed focused on the battle, even as he was nearly overwhelmed by the urge to roll his eyes at the demon before him. Their fight continued, the demon being unaware of how the King was purposely directing the fight back toward the entrance. He knew that the Emperor was in the room with them already, he just didn't know _where_ in the room he was. He decided to create an opening and hoped that the Emperor would seize the chance and attack. He pretended to stumble and lose his footing, and the demon predictably took the bait, his beady eyes gleaming hungrily as he lunged forward for what he perceived was the final blow. His delight immediately turned to horror as a sword pierced him from behind, skewering him through the heart. Even the King was a bit surprised by the Emperor's sudden appearance.

"Where the hell did _you_ just come from? I didn't see you in here at all!"

The Emperor flicked his wrist, forcefully expelling the demon blood from his katana. He took out a cloth from his obi and used it to wipe his blade clean. He incinerated the bloody cloth with his power, turning it to ash before their eyes.

"I have been trained to blend in with the shadows, so that is what I did."

"You talk about blending in with shadows like it's the most natural thing in the world. That was amazing!"

The Emperor's face colored slightly as he reveled in the King's compliment.

"Well, ah...thank you. You did quite well when you lured the demon in with that ruse. It created the perfect opportunity for me to strike. That was a very satisfying conclusion to a perfectly executed mission. We work very well together, you and I."

The Emperor bowed before extending his hand toward the King. Completely forgetting his own self-imposed ban on direct skin contact with the Emperor, he eagerly took the offered hand in his own in a handshake. As soon as their hands touched, a sudden jolt of energy passed between them, leaving both men feeling dazed and tingly. The Emperor was the first to recover.

"What the hell was _that_?!"

...

Mila had been expecting the inevitable pain, but instead felt a solid mass impacting her body just before she was sent tumbling to the ground. She rolled around on the ground a few times before coming to stop with a solid mass on top of her.

"Princess, are you injured?"

Mila opened her eyes to a pair of concerned cloudy gray ones. The Shinobi's hair had formed a chocolatey curtain around their faces, and she could feel a few tendrils brushing up against her neck. It smelled clean and fresh, and slightly scented of jasmine. Then she noticed the weight of the woman's breasts pressing intimately against her body and she felt the color rushing to her cheeks. Her mouth gaped open and all she could do was stare. Minako eyed the elven princess currently trapped under her body, somewhat surprised but not at all displeased by her reaction to their contact. She smiled knowingly at the woman before extricating herself and helping her to her feet.

"It appears that you are unharmed, Princess. Forgive me for knocking you to the ground so roughly, it was all I could do in the short time I had to prevent harm coming to you."

Mila nodded numbly at the woman, still trying to sort out everything that had just happened. They were interrupted by Minami's woeful sobbing. The young man was positively inconsolable. He had let his guard down and the Princess had almost been harmed. He had disappointed Emperor Katsuki and didn't deserve to live.

"Let's get everyone together and head back to camp. There will be a large celebration tonight and I for one am looking forward to drinking sake till I pass out."

The mention of sake seemed to finally snap the princess out of her stupor.

"Is that the stuff we only got to drink a little bit of last night?"

"Yes."

"Count me in. That shit's _good_."

Minako laughed as she patted the princess on the back.

"You're on. Tonight we drink to victory!'

 **_terminology_**

страж (Strazh): Sentinel

Vila (Вила): a type of supernatural being, a kind of Nymph. Their name comes from the same root as the name of Veles (God of the underworld, earth, waters, fertility, trickery, cattle, pasture, snakes, bears, wolves, medicine, music, and magic). They are described as beautiful, eternally young, dressed in white, with eyes flashing like thunders, and provided with wings. They are well-disposed towards men, and they are able to turn themselves into horses, wolves, snakes, falcons and beautiful, eternally young, dressed in white, with eyes flashing like thunders, and provided with wings. They live in the clouds, in mountain woods or in the waters. They are well-disposed towards men, and they are able to turn themselves into horses, wolves, snakes, falcons and swans.

Hakaku (ハカク): white crane.

Taishō uma (対州馬): also known as Taisu or Taishuh, originated on the Tsu Island of Japan. It is an ancient breed, believed to date back to the eighth century. In 1920, there were more than 4000 of them, but only about 65 head remain. Due to their gentle nature and strong willingness to obey, Taishō are often ridden by farmers' wives and children. Nevertheless, they are also known for endurance and ability to survive on little food and in severe weather, and may even be used for light draft.

Shi no Kage (死の影): Death's Shadow

Ferghana horse: known in China as the 'heavenly horse' and in the West as the Nisaean horse. It is actually the Akhal-Teke (like Viktor's!) horse that was imported into China during the Han Dynasty and given a new breed name.

Nariko (ナリコ): gentle child

Dosanko uma (北海道馬): descendant from the first horses brought to Hokkaido Island by Korean fisherman sometime in the 15th century, and was at some point given an injection of Mongolian blood as well. This is one of Japan's few native breeds


	31. The King and the Onsen

_**A/N: Anime series always have this 'fanservice' type onsen/hotspring episode (as well as the obligatory beach episode), so I decided to jump on the bandwagon (as my gift to you ;)**_

 _ **Included in this chapter:**_  
 _ **Emperor Katsuki discovers that King Nikiforov is adorably prudish (teasing ensues)!**_  
 _ **Emperor Katsuki is a sneaky flirt!**_  
 _ **King Nikiforov gets the 'full' fundoshi experience.**_

_line break_

Chapter Text

Cleanup didn't take very long, the two powerful monarchs making quick work of things. Emperor Katsuki worked with Yuuko to purify the stronghold and the surrounding area. King Nikiforov summoned a cloud of about a hundred perfect little icy spheres and sent them out toward the stronghold. They embedded themselves at strategic sections of the building and when the King clapped his hands together, they shattered, causing great cracks of ice to form in the building's façade. The cracks grew and expanded until they met up with one another and the whole building exploded in a rainshower of ice crystals. The rays of the midday sun reflected off the ice crystals, rendering them into a million little prisms and filling the sky with a burst of shimmering little rainbows. As they fell to the ground, they grew red hot in color before dispersing into little blue embers as they were consumed by the purification magic. Yuuko and her husband Takeshi worked in tandem to bless the land and make it suitable for things to grow and sustain an ecosystem.

Once the blessing was complete, Minami had immediately prostrated himself before the Emperor, begging for forgiveness and demanding punishment for his gross negligence. The Emperor tapped his chin pensively with his fan as he eyed the young man groveling at his feet.

"Kenjiro, were you the only one who did not notice that last demon?"

"No, Emperor Sama."

"Was anyone injured as a result?"

"No, Emperor Sama. But the Princess…"

"Was the Princess injured, Kenjiro?"

"No, Emperor Sama."

"Kenjiro, please rise."

The young man stood up, but his head still hung low and he did not look up at the Emperor.

"I have decided on your punishment."

When Minami's head snapped back up, the Emperor promptly flicked him on the forehead with his index finger and thumb.

"Let it be known that I have deemed your punishment for your perceived transgressions fair and complete."

Minami's hand flew to the little red circle that had formed on his forehead and his eyes lit up with such love and adoration that you'd think the Emperor had just made him king for a day.

"Thank you Emperor Katsuki Sama! Minami receives your divine punishment with honor and pride! Minami won't let you down again!"

"That's good to hear, Kenjiro. I have faith in your words to me. Now please mount your horse so that you may take the Princess back to camp with you."

The young man bowed deeply to the Emperor and floated away on a cloud of happiness. The King hummed contemplatively to himself as the scene played out in front of him. He had been just off to the side and had witnessed the entire exchange. The Emperor always managed to find some new way to surprise him. In Occidentis, such an act would most likely lead to a public dressing down and removal of certain privileges. The Emperor did not seem overly upset or bothered by what had happened and had meted out a minor 'punishment' mostly for the young man's peace of mind than any other official reason. He looked around to see if there was any discord among the members of his court, but saw none. No one seemed to have an issue with or had contested the method the Emperor had chosen to discipline his subject. Hmm, interesting. To the untrained eye, it would seem that the Emperor was too 'soft' on his subjects. But based on the amount of sheer respect his subjects seemed for have for him, he doubted that they saw his mercy as weakness.

Once everything had been taken care of, all gathered together and prepared to head back to camp. Two royal guards rode ahead of the pair of monarchs and two rode behind them, forming a wall of protection around them. The Emperor pulled his horse closely alongside the King's, and subtly initiated a hushed conversation.

"Please meet me at my tent at sundown. I know a place we can go where we can be alone to discuss certain things."

The King's heart skipped a beat at the mention of being alone with the Emperor. They would finally get a chance to address all the strange and mysterious things going on with their swords and the electricity that passed between them. He dipped his chin and nodded at the Emperor.

"Understood."

…

Camp erupted in a flurry of activity as soon as the battalion returned from the raid. Horses were rubbed down, watered and given grain before being taken to the stables. Those who received injuries were treated by Yuuko and Squire Plisetsky using the potions they had brewed earlier or in the day. The young Squire had not been at all pleased at having been left behind, but he knew that he was on a lot of shit lists at the moment and decided not to make a stink about it. The raid had obviously been a success, and he was dying to know the specifics of the battle. He would have to pick Mila's brain about it later.

Weapons were cleaned, sharpened and oiled appropriately as tables were set up to serve lunch. The Phoenix clan soldiers sat down with freshly brewed pots of green tea while the Ice Dragon clan soldiers preferred to drink water. A few curious dragons inquired about the tea and there was soon a happy contingent of foreign tea drinkers among the Phoenix clan. As the dishes were placed on the serving table, the air at the camp filled with the rich scent of shellfish. Two boats had gone out on a fishing expedition while the battle was being fought and fresh seafood and fish were both on the menu. A mixed pack of hunters comprised of both clan members was currently out in the forest foraging for fresh meat for dinner. Dinner preparation would begin as soon as the lunch service was finished and the meat arrived. Tonight's celebration would be a big one and the cooks would soon be quite busy preparing enough for everyone.

Sara made a beeline for Michele's tent as soon as she made it back to camp. She knelt down by his cot and took one of his hands into her own. She was disappointed that he still hadn't regained consciousness, but he had been through a lot in a relatively short period of time. She brought his hand to her lips and sent a silent prayer up to the Gods. She was extremely thankful that the foul demon had been pushed out of his body and that he had lived through the ordeal. Michele was the only family she had left, and she could not imagine a life without him. She stroked one his cheeks before running a hand through his brown hair.

"Ritorna da me, fratello"

…

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. The mood around the camp was jovial and relaxed, gone was all the pre-battle tension from the previous night. The King made his way to the Emperor's tent, and when he arrived, he saw that the Emperor was already outside waiting for him.

"Good evening King Nikiforov. I hope this evening finds you well."

"Good evening to you as well, Emperor Katsuki."

"I have requested that both our horses be saddled. They should be waiting for us at the gate."

The King was immediately intrigued.

"We're going to need our horses to get to wherever we need to go?"

"Yes, but worry not...we won't be going too far. The horses will just make getting there easier and faster, especially with the diminishing daylight."

"I see. Lead the way then, Your Majesty."

...

The two men rode mostly in silence, choosing to quietly drink in the setting sun as they rode. The king had noticed that there was a satchel attached to his saddle and it had taken all his available willpower to refrain from peeking inside it. He saw a matching satchel hanging from the Emperor's saddle and his levels of curiosity grew exponentially with each passing second. A short time later, the Emperor's horse started slowing down until finally coming to a full stop and he dismounted. The King followed suit, copying the Emperor when he tied his horse to a nearby tree. The Emperor held his lantern high and motioned to the King.

"Follow me."

Confused, but still incredibly curious, the King did as he was asked. They walked a few more meters and then pushed through some foliage. Upon coming out on the other side, the King's eyes widened in surprise at what he saw before him. There was a small clearing with an irregularly-shaped pool in the middle, but there was something odd about the water, it was smoking.

"What…is…that?"

The Emperor turned to look at him and smiled.

"Allow me to introduce you to one of the best geological features the earth has to offer; the onsen."

The King stepped in a bit closer and waved his hand over the smoke emanating from the water.

"It feels hot!"

"Correct. Underground water sources become heated by the earth and bubble up through cracks and faults toward the surface. It's hot, but perfectly safe for soaking. Visiting the onsen is a national pastime of Orientalis."

The King stared at the water and marveled at how something so amazing simply happened haphazardly. When he turned around to ask the Emperor a question, his jaw fell open and the words froze in the back of his throat. The man's torso was completely bare, divested of its previous cloth covering. A handsomely svelte yet sinewy torso, with muscles that rippled and…The King's cheeks burned red with color and he was caught between wanting to turn away to give him privacy and continue gawping at him like a fish out of water. The Emperor reached for the sash holding his pants up and the King just about fainted.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"

The Emperor paused in his actions and cocked his head to the side, looking up questioningly at the King.

"I'm disrobing. One does not wear clothing when taking a bath. Well, at least not in Orientalis. Are bathing customs different in Occidentis?"

The King coughed and sputtered as his brain fought to remain in functioning order.

"No, of course not! But…bathing with another man is not…we don't….I've never…"

The Emperor smirked as he stepped in closer to the King.

"Oh? Is the great King Nikiforov scared of sharing a bath with me? I assure you, you'll be perfectly safe in my presence."

The King swallowed thickly, his mouth having previously gone dry. He cleared his throat and stood straightened his back as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm not scared. Of course I'll be safe in your presence, you're a damn ninja."

The Emperor threw his head back and laughed, and the King felt some of the tension drain from him.

"I suppose you're right, dear King. I would still be able to handle myself quite well in any battle, even while not wearing any clothes."

The tension came flying right back at him, along with a slew of images of a naked Emperor, and the King let out a surprised little yelp. The Emperor laughed again and waved his hands defensively in front of him.

"Worry not, I'll keep my fundoshi on out of respect to you, so I won't be fully nude."

"What's a fundoshi?"

The corner of the Emperor's mouth lifted, forming a covert little smirk.

"Oh, it's an undergarment. Usually we remove all clothing and use a small towel for modesty. Your satchel contains all the items you will require for the bath."

The King picked up the satchel and opened it. Inside it was a bottle of something scented and what appeared to be a few towels.

"I'll finish disrobing and wait for you in the water. I'll have my back turned to you so as to protect your…royal virtue."

There was laughter in the Emperor's voice as he spoke and the King immediately realized that he was being teased. This was an interesting new side of the Emperor he was getting to see. Things had been all business and diplomacy since they'd first met and it was a very refreshing change. The King's lips formed a pretty little pout and he crossed his arms in a huff.

"I can protect my own royal virtue, thank you very much."

The Emperor smiled winningly at the King before removing the pin in his hair. The action caused an ebony cascade to tumble past his shoulders and down his back. The King watched, transfixed by the way the lantern light shimmered off the shiny locks. The Emperor made quick work of his pants and the King was relieved to see that the man was indeed wearing an undergarment of sorts. The Emperor sauntered regally toward the pool, the curtain of hair swinging hypnotically from side to side with each step. Just before getting in, he paused momentarily and bent over to pick up his satchel. The action caused his hair to fall forward and the King was treated to an unadulterated view of the Emperor's smooth and muscular backside. His face instantly burned red hot and he actually felt himself getting a bit faint. That little ябеда! He did that on purpose! His suspicions were immediately confirmed when the ruler of Occidentis turned and winked at him from over his shoulder. He stepped into the pool and lowered himself into it up to the shoulders, keeping his back to him as promised.

The King began removing his own clothes, still feeling a bit awkward and unsettled about bathing with another man. But if he was going to have the experience anyway, he was glad that at least it would be with the Emperor. The hot water would be quite relaxing and definitely help relieve some of the stresses from the past couple of days. He folded his clothes up neatly and placed them on a nearby rock before taking the smaller towel and wrapping it around his waist.

"Introduce yourself to the water slowly. It's probably much hotter than what you're used to."

Without turning around, the Emperor pointed to a small receptacle sitting on a nearby rock.

"You can use that to collect some water and pour it over yourself until you feel acclimatized."

The Emperor's voice was soft as it filled the air, but it still managed to startle him a bit.

"A-ah…thank you."

The King picked up the receptacle and then knelt down by the water. He scooped some of the water up and tentatively splashed some onto his skin. As soon as it made contact, he hissed and nearly dropped the container.

"Дерьмо! Это чертовски жарко!"

"Take your time, don't rush it. It takes a little getting used to."

The King nodded and proceeded to slowly sprinkle the hot water on his skin. Once he felt ready, he placed the container back on the rock and sat down by the pool. First, he dipped his toes in and then slid forward until his legs were in up to the knees. He splashed some water onto his thighs and then lowered himself into the pool. He breathed out slow and measured breaths and he lowered his arms into the water. He walked to the other side of the pool and sat down on a rocky ledge across from the Emperor. Once he was fully submerged, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he let out an appreciative moan. The hot water felt absolutely amazing on his tired bones and muscles.

"How is it?"

"Mmmm, it feels fantastic. You have these everywhere in Orientalis?"

"Yes, many hot fires burn under the land."

"It's rather appropriate then that your family was chosen to wield fire. I also see that fire in your eyes, Emperor Katsuki."

"Yuuri."

"Pardon?"

"My given name is Yuuri. Please feel free to use it."

"Very well, Yuuri. Please call me Viktor."

"I shall, Viktor."

King Viktor smiled as he heard his name being spoken by Yuuri's lips. It pleased him greatly that they had finally made it to the point of using their first names.

"In Occidentis, there are some sections in the north that are so cold that a man would freeze instantly if he spent more than ten minutes outside. My family line is cold and we're notoriously frigid and closed off. No other family was so well-suited to wield ice."

"I don't believe that, not for a second."

Viktor's head snapped up and he stared incredulously at the man before him. Yuuri had fixed him with that intensely fiery gaze of his that sent little tremors racing down his spine.

"Our ancestors have certainly contributed to the continuation of the line of succession, but they do not define the individual people within the line. Each person is unique and not bound by the sins or fancies of their forefathers."

Viktor stared, dumbfounded, at the man before him. In all his years, he had never heard anyone say such a thing to him. If anything, everything was always lorded over him and held over his head like the great sword of Damocles. Whenever he'd tried to be his own person, he was beaten down with reminders of how his father had done things, or how his grandfather would have done it. No one ever seemed interested in seeing how HE would do it.

"I have seen into your heart, Viktor. And it's the absolute furthest thing from frigid. You've hidden a deep pain within your heart, but have not allowed it to taint the overwhelming kindness inside. The northern lands of Occidentis may be barren wastelands, but you most certainly are not."

Viktor's eyes widened suddenly as his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't be positively certain, but he may just have fallen in love ******.

 **_terminology**

Ritorna da me, fratello – Return (come back) to me, brother.

ябеда (yabeda) - sneak

Дерьмо! Это чертовски жарко! (Der'mo! Eto chertovski zharko!) – Shit! It's damn hot!

 ****** \- imagine the scene from the Sochi banquet when Yuuri asked Viktor to be his coach and then dry-humped him.


	32. A Hair-Raising Bath

Viktor's heart was pounding in his chest and he could feel a flush spreading from his cheeks down to his neck. He was feeling _so_ many things while simultaneously not knowing exactly how to feel. No one had ever said anything even as remotely thoughtful and meaningful like that to him before. He just _had_ to return the favor. _C'mon, think of something witty and ingenious._ _Say something...be smooth and suave…wow him with your charm!_ A highly flustered King racked his brains for something equally meaningful and insightful to say to the Emperor. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth…

"You have really pretty hair."

The mortification was swift and immediate. As soon as he realized what he'd actually said, his face colored for a completely different reason. He wished that he could crawl under a rock, hide and never have to face the Emperor again. At that very moment, he was feeling extremely thankful that at least it was night and that he could use the cover of darkness to hide his embarrassment. The Emperor, bless his heart, took it all in stride and simply smiled benevolently at him.

"Thank you, I take a lot of pride in its health and maintenance."

Desperate to salvage something from the conversation, the King jumped at the chance to contribute something meaningful.

"I, uh…used to have long hair as well, you know, back when I was still a young man."

The Emperor's eyes twinkled under the lantern light and he leaned in closer, suddenly brimming with excitement.

"Oh, Viktor…I bet you looked even more magnificent with long hair! How long was it? How did you wear it? What did you use to wash it?"

The King's jaw just about dropped and fell right off his face. Mr. I'm-So-Composed-And-Effortlessly-Elegant was positively giddy…over hair…HIS hair. _Wait, even_ _ **more**_ _magnificent?_ Viktor's eyes lit up and his mouth broke into a goofy heart-shaped smile.

"It was down just past my waist and I mostly wore it up in a ponytail, much like you do. When I had sword practice or battle training, I would wear it in a braid. I'm not sure what I used to wash it, the product was always in a nondescript bottle in the royal baths. I'm sorry…I never bothered to find out."

The Emperor bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically as he hummed in acknowledgment.

"In Orientalis, we use the fruit from the サピンダス tree. The fruit is collected and then allowed to dry in the sun. The dried fruit is then boiled over fire for hours until all the cleaning agent has been extracted. Once it cools, it's beaten and churned until it's rendered into a thick foam. Essential oils are added for fragrance and then it's bottled and ready for use."

The King listened intently as the Emperor described the process. He was incredibly intrigued and curious about this hair wash foam that came from trees. He had never heard of such a thing before.

"That sounds amazing! I wish I could try some!"

The Emperor smiled mischievously as he winked at the King.

"I'm one step ahead of you, dear Viktor. I specifically requested that it be included in my satchel tonight. I was planning on using it once we'd finished our conversation about _recent events_."

Viktor suddenly felt rather foolish. Between all the different experiences he'd already had that evening and his earlier gaffe, he had completely forgotten about why they'd come out here in the first place.

"Ah…yes. Right you are, Yuuri. We should probably discuss what we experienced earlier."

"Before we address the swords, there's one thing I _must_ know. When we shook hands earlier, what did you feel?"

The King closed his eyes as he thought back to the handshake.

"It was intense, almost like…a white-hot fire, but not in a bad or painful way. It actually caused a very pleasant little shiver that ran all along my arm and then down my spine."

He opened his eyes again to look at the Emperor and saw him nodding thoughtfully in agreement.

"Indeed. I felt something very similar. There was something else there though…something familiar. I can't quite put my finger on it, but if I had to compare it to something…it was like…"

The Emperor closed his eyes and tipped his head back, his eyes scrunched closed in concentration as he tried to find the right expression. The King watched, entranced, as a droplet of water made its way past the edge of Yuuri's chin and ran slowly down his neck. His eyes followed the drop closely as it clung to the moist skin of the Emperor's throat and hugged the curves of his Adam's apple. The King had never been so envious of a water drop before in his whole life. He swallowed thickly as his mind filled with visions of replacing the drop with his tongue and…

"I've got it!"

The King was startled out of his thoughts, somewhat thankful that they got stopped in their tracks before they'd had the chance to become even more lewd.

"Coming home."

Viktor managed to tear his eyes away from Yuuri's neck and use them to look up at the man's face.

"Pardon?"

"The feeling when we touched. It felt like…coming home after a long journey."

Viktor's eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized he knew _exactly_ what Yuuri meant. He brought both of his hands to his chest, holding them over his heart as he reached deep within himself. The feeling that had been with him since he'd had his first contact with the Emperor finally had a name…'home'. He raised his eyes again to look questioningly at the Emperor.

"But how is that possible? Our clans have never interacted. Prior to a few days ago, we hadn't even met. Heck, I didn't even know you existed until a few days ago."

The Emperor brought his right hand to his heart and the back of his left hand to his forehead, his face contorted in a display of indignation.

"Didn't even know I existed? Viktor, that really wounds me!"

The King waved his hands defensively in front of him, windmilling comically as he realized how what he said must have sounded.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean that I thought you were unimportant! I just…I didn't…I never…"

The Emperor placed a hand on each of the King's shoulders and stared intently at him with a very serious look on his face, the thrum of energy passing through their touching skin briefly distracting him for a moment. _Oh shit, I've_ _ **really**_ _done it now!_ Viktor closed his eyes and braced himself for the oncoming admonishment. Instead, he heard a rather crass snort followed by thunderous laughter. He opened his eyes to an Emperor in the throes of a raucous fit of mirth.

"Oh sweet kami… ***gasp*** the look on your face! It was ***gasp*** priceless!"

Viktor couldn't believe it, he'd just been royally had, pun intended. Yuuri had actually made him believe that he was really mad at him! Viktor crossed his arms and pouted, feeling rather ridiculous that he'd been fooled so easily.

"That was really mean, Yuuri. I thought that I had really hurt your feelings! I couldn't handle the disgrace of being so dishonorable towards you after you'd been so hospitable towards me and my clan."

The Emperor stopped laughing and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Forgive me Viktor, I've always been a bit of a prankster. I just can't help myself sometimes. You have such an adorable face when you're all flustered, I just had to see it again."

Viktor pulled his arms more tightly against himself and deepened the pout. _No fair! How does he do that? How does he make me go from being all mad at him one second to feeling as if I could never be mad at him the next?_

"How about I make it up to you, then?"

Viktor quirked an eyebrow up at Yuuri, his interest suddenly piqued.

"I'm listening. What do you have in mind?"

"How about I wash your hair for you?"

Viktor shook his head and smiled. The Emperor truly did have a one-track mind.

"Alright, I'll grant you this _rare_ chance to wash the hair of the one and only King of Occidentis. Your forgiveness will depend on how good of a job you do."

The Emperor clapped his hands together and rubbed them in excitement as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Then my forgiveness is all but assured. My skills are unrivaled."

The Emperor motioned for the King to come over to him and pointed out a flattened rock that was just slightly hidden beneath the cloudy water.

"There's another flattened surface just below that one. You can feel for it with your hands. Once you find it, sit down. I'll sit up on the higher one so I can have better access to your hair."

Viktor felt around under the water and found the higher flat surface, after he reached the edge of the rock, he bent down and was able to find the second, lower ledge. He sat down, sucking in a sharp breath as the hot water rose up higher on his chest. He heard some rustling behind him and then felt the disturbance in the water surrounding him. He sensed the Emperor sitting down and getting comfortable behind him. The man's lower legs brushed up against his sides, bringing back that enthralling tingle he'd experienced earlier.

"The tingling…it doesn't bother you?"

"Not at all. I find it quite comforting, actually."

Viktor heard the sound of splashing water and looked over to see Yuuri scooping some water in a small container. He saw tendrils of the monarch's hair swirling around him in the pool, waving hypnotically about like black snakes. He had to hold himself back from reaching out and letting them flow through his fingers.

"Please tilt your head back, I'm going to wet your hair first."

The King did as he was told and had to bite back a moan when he felt the Emperor run his fingers through his hair. The hot water felt heavenly against his scalp and he closed his eyes as it was poured slowly over his hair. He heard the sound of a container being opened and then Yuuri cursing under his breath.

"Is everything alright, Yuuri?"

"Ah…yes, it's fine. It's just not the particular scent I requested. There must have been some kind of… ***ahem*** …misunderstanding and I was given this one instead. Sorry, it's a bit…um…strong. I'll try to use it sparingly."

He felt the fingers of both of Yuuri's hands sink into his wet hair and start expertly working the cleanser into a rich lather. The scent of the product immediately hit his nose; an incredibly heady and intoxicating fragrance. He breathed in deeply, each breath filling his nostrils with the sweet scent that seemed to have some dangerous undertones, giving it a bit of a deadly edge. The more he breathed it in, the more he craved it. He was absolutely entranced, he'd never smelled anything like it before. It was an incredible aroma, and it was evoking a rather inappropriate reaction from between his legs. He was never more thankful for the cloudy quality of the water than he was at that very moment, at least he could hide his reaction from view. Viktor tried to calm down and keep things from getting further out of control, willing that certain part of himself back into a dormant state.

"This, uh…smells quite wonderful, and certainly very…ah…potent. What…is it, exactly?"

"It's the scent of the Datura flower, a beautiful trumped-shaped flower that only blooms at night. It belongs to the nightshade family and is also called Devil's Trumpet."

The King was a bit startled at the mention of nightshade. They were all over Occidentis and were famous for their deadly potency.

"There's no need to worry Viktor, you're perfectly safe. We use a very small amount of the oil extracted from the flower. As long as it's not ingested, it won't harm you."

Viktor sank back down on the rock, allowing himself to relax once more against Yuuri's legs. The Emperor resumed his masterful movements and it wasn't long before he felt his eyes begin to close. His head rolled to the left and he was soon snoring softly against Yuuri's knee.

...

He was roused from his impromptu nap a short while later, as something insistent brushed up against his nose, tickling it. He wrinkled his nose in an attempt to dislodge the offending nuisance, but it just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Viktor, I'm not going away until you wake up."

The King's eyes suddenly flew wide open and he came face to face with a bemused-looking Emperor.

"Huh…what? Did I fall asleep?"

"You did. Drooled all over my leg, too."

The King's face turned a lovely shade of beet red as the embarrassment flooded in.

"I am SO sorry. I don't know what came over me!"

"It's no bother at all! You never stood a chance against my skills from the beginning. I can't fault you for doing exactly what I was expecting you to do!"

Viktor groaned and rubbed his sleepy eyes with his hands in an effort to wake himself up a bit more.

"May I wash your hair, too? I may not be as skilled as you in that department…but I'd really like to return the favor."

The Emperor's eyes instantly glittered with glee and he motioned for Viktor to trade places with him. The King stood up and stretched his arms over his head in an attempt to get the circulation moving again, momentarily forgetting that he was buck naked in the water with another man, a very handsome man.

"You have beautifully toned buttocks, Viktor. I can see that you put a lot of hard work into maintaining them."

The King eep'd and practically threw himself back in the water, burying himself till he was neck-deep in it.

"In the name of all that is holy…are you _trying_ to kill me with embarrassment?! I don't think I can take much more, Yuuri!"

The Emperor laughed heartily as he shook his head and waved a hand in front of him.

"No, no…of course not! I just don't think nudity is something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Everyone is naked once all their clothes are gone! And for the most part, we all have the exact same bits, so there's nothing really surprising about it. I can see that it's all still a bit much for you, so I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable."

Viktor kept himself submerged to his neck in the water as he crab-walked into position behind the Emperor.

"There are those who do not shy away from nudity in Occidentis, either. It's just not something I've had a lot of experience with, personally. I've always been a bit private about it, I suppose."

Viktor took Yuuri's hair in his hands, triumphantly savoring the moment he was finally touching it. It was so soft and silky, even when it was wet. He divided the hair into two halves and pushed one over the Emperor's right shoulder.

"I'm going to wash it in two parts. I think it'll be better than trying to wash it all at once. Is that alright with you?"

The Emperor hummed in agreement and Viktor reached for the bottle with the hair cleansing agent. He poured a small amount into his palm, feeling slightly dizzy once the heady scent flooded his nostrils once more. Yuuri's hair was already wet, and so he just got right to it. He started at the top of his head, massaging the product into the hair and marveling at how thickly it lathered up. He worked his way down the length of the hair until he'd covered the section fully. He asked Yuuri to tilt his head back and then poured clean water over it until it was fully rinsed. He grabbed hold of the second section of hair from over the man's right shoulder and brought it back over to the middle as he pushed the clean section off over the left shoulder. Once he'd fully finished washing the second section, he pushed it over and joined it with the other clean half. As Viktor took in the bare expanse of Yuuri's back, he gasped in horror. The man's flesh was marred by hundreds of scars. There were scars of all lengths, widths and severity. Viktor covered his mouth with his hand, absolutely shocked and appalled by what he was seeing.

"Y-Yuuri! What happened to your back?"

Yuuri looked back at him over his shoulder, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Do you mean the scars?"

"Yes, I mean the scars! What else would it be?"

Yuuri shrugged, ostensibly not bothered at all by his back-full of scarred flesh.

"They're lessons, from training."

"Lessons? Yuuri…did they just beat you indiscriminately?"

"Of course not, don't be absurd. Each scar is a reminder of a time I zigged when I should have zagged. When I ducked instead of jumped. When I parried instead of blocked. They are reminders of the lessons I have learned."

"But Yuuri, could you not have learned those same lessons without such…consequences? Some of these look as if they came from frighteningly deep wounds. Your trainers were willing to risk your life just so you could _learn a lesson_?"

The Emperor flicked his hair back over his shoulder, causing it to cascade over his back and hide the offending scars from view. He took a deep breath and let it out in a measured sigh as he stood up.

"In battle, one often does not have the chance to take back a fatal mistake. Training without suffering the pain of consequences does not instill a proper respect and fear of death. I am the warrior I am today because the fear of pain kept me sharp. The best way to avoid pain is to avoid mistakes."

Viktor couldn't believe his ears. The playful Yuuri that had been with him just a short while ago seemed all but gone, and had been replaced by someone who spoke in a cold and detached manner. It made his heart break a little more.

"The pain and fear you must have felt must have been...unbearable."

Viktor's voice cracked as he spoke and fat tears rolled unbidden from his eyes.

"You must have suffered _so_ much."

The Emperor heard the change in Viktor's voice and whipped around to face him, shocked and confused to see the tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"Viktor, you're crying!"

"Yes you idiot, I am!"

"Why?"

"Because! I'm sad that you had to suffer! I'm mad that people allowed you to be hurt! And because it breaks my heart that this seems...normal to you!"

The Emperor was speechless. He looked at the pained expression on the King's face and felt a pain stir within his own heart. He realized immediately that he didn't want to see Viktor in any kind of pain. It was as if the pain was reflecting back at him and doubly hurting him in return. He felt as if he would everything in his power to protect him from it. Overwhelmed by the sudden rush of strange rush of emotions, the Emperor turned his back to the King once again and wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to figure out why he was being so affected.

Viktor wiped the tears angrily from his arms as he extended an arm and took a step toward the Emperor. His vision became suddenly very blurry and he was overcome with an intense feeling of vertigo. He kind of lost his balance a bit, the dizziness making it impossible to stand upright. He was hot, too hot...the steam making it hard for him to breathe. He sank down into the water and lost consciousness, falling forward until he was floating face down in the water.

Yuuri was panicking. This was a situation he'd never encountered before. No one had ever cried for him before. No one had ever shown concern for his scars nor the pain he'd suffered all those years. His uncle had always told him that the weak would look upon his scars with pity, and the strong would look at them with pride. But he'd seen neither in Viktor's eyes, there had only been genuine anguish. Determined to get to the bottom of things, he turned back around to demand some answers from the man. What he saw instead caused his blood to run cold. Viktor was face down in the water, and he wasn't moving.

"くそ!くそ!くそ!"

What an idiot he'd been! He should have kept a closer eye on Viktor, it was just his first time in an onsen after all. He'd probably become too dehydrated and had been overwhelmed by the heat. How long had they been in there anyway? It was totally unlike him to lose track of time. He grabbed Viktor and turned him over before dragging him out of the water. He lay him on his left side and felt encouraged when he saw some water drain from his lungs. He checked for breath but found none. He rolled Viktor onto his back and prepared to give him the kiss of life. He tilted his head back, pinched his nose and lowered his lips to Viktor's, forming a tight seal between them. He breathed, and the pale silver-haired man sputtered back to life. Yuuri pulled him into his arms and delivered hefty open-palmed strikes to Viktor's back, causing more water to be dislodged and exit the man's body.

"That's good Viktor, very good. Thank kami you were only unconscious in the water for a short time."

He leaned Viktor up against a nearby rock, feeling great relief when the man opened his eyes and stared dazedly up at him.

"Viktor, can you hear me? How do you feel?"

Viktor's eyes were glassy and confused, but they seemed to focus on the source of his voice and he clumsily threw his arms around Yuuri's neck.

"Oooh, it's a pretty angel with pretty hair!"

"Viktor, what are you..."

The silver-haired monarch leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a sloppy kiss before passing out cold on his shoulder.

Yuuri's eyes grew impossibly wide and he gasped. A strange and searing hot fire radiated inward from his lips and coursed its way through his body at top speed. It quickly made its way to his heart and the last thing Yuuri saw was a bright white light.

 **_terminology_**

サピンダス (Sapindus mukorossi) - the fruit is commonly known as Indian soapberry or washnut, and like other species in the genus Sapindus, it is called soapberry. The soapnut contains the compound of saponin, which has natural cleansing properties, and therefore the soapnut can be used as a cleanser for hair, skin, and clothing.

 _ **Datura flower**_ **:** all the information posted about this flower is fact. I have a Datura perfume and I can attest to it's erotic sexiness. RAWR.

くそ!くそ!くそ! (Kuso! Kuso! Kuso!) : Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!


	33. A Dream of Cruel Fate

Look here for the clothes, colors and flowers. document/d/1W25vNzhas5VfJKJWzzGRlHGLWzSWV0HrnIA0_qLp4OI/edit?usp=sharing

_xxxxx_

The Emperor opened his eyes to a pure-white dreamscape, the brightness of his surroundings dimming slowly until he was finally able to see. As he looked down, he noticed the pair of billowing sleeves and found himself dressed in the shōzoku Ikan-style seisō robes of a high temple priest. His hō had a beautifully embroidered flaming phoenix on the front, and the weight he felt on his head told him that he was also wearing a kanmuri. His hair was dry and set in a long solitary braid down his back. As he looked around to see where he was, the white background slowly filled in around him, bleeding in like a living watercolor painting. He was immediately able to recognize his location. He was at天火神社, the Shrine of the Goddess Elianna, Queen of the Gods and Mother of Fire. His family had made the pilgrimage to the shrine when the time had come for him to inherit the Goddess Fang. The shrine was the grandest in all the land, set in Orientalis' most sacred mountain; Fujisan. Fujisan was a living mountain with a belly full of fire, the perfect place for a shrine dedicated to the goddess who ruled over the element.

An ethereal glow emanated from the center of the shrine complex and he felt drawn to it, almost compelled to go there. He stopped at the chōzubachi, purifying himself before entering. It had been at least ten years since he'd last been to the shrine and although everything still looked the same, he was experiencing it differently now that he was older. He was able to pick up on a lot more details and appreciate things like scenery and decorative nuances. He had been so nervous and uptight the last time he'd been here, the weight of the clan's future squarely on his young shoulders. Ha had been internally panicking the entire time, praying that he didn't screw up any part of the ritual. He made his way through the shrine complex, marveling at its quiet serenity. There was no other human in sight, and all he could hear were the sounds of the mountain around him.

He approached the central pavilion, pausing to look up at the beautiful five-storied pagoda standing there. It was tall and majestic, its golden accents shimmering in the light. Each story of the pagoda represented a vital worldly element, showcased in ascending order: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. The fire element story was the most ornately decorated, golden flames adorning every facet. He went inside, slowly climbing the stairs until he reached the third story. As soon as he stepped onto the floor, an overwhelmingly pure, radiant, and powerful presence flooded the room.

He immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing deeply toward the altar and keeping his face plastered to the ground. He knew instantly that he was in the presence of the goddess herself, the power in the room resonating deep in his soul. He did not dare remove his face from the ground and tried to keep his trembling body as still as possible. Not only was it highly disrespectful to look into a deity's aspect in their own home, but a mere human would burst into ashes if they ever saw a god in their true form.

"Rise, Katsuki Yuuri. It is now safe for you to gaze upon your goddess."

The Emperor got to his feet, careful to keep his gaze averted, still unsure as to whether he should actually look up at the goddess or not.

Gentle laughter suddenly filled the room and the Emperor felt such love filling his heart that it brought tears to his eyes.

"Be not afraid, brave warrior. I assure you that you have my full permission to look at me. I have gone to great lengths to take on a form that is befitting of a heavenly maiden of Orientalis. How will I know if I have been successful if you do not look at me?"

Slowly and timidly, the Emperor raised his eyes to look upon the source of incandescence. When his eyes leveled out, they settled on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was wearing a stunningly exquisite jūnihitoe, each of the twelve layers more extravagant than the one before. The kosode was plain white cotton, and the Nagabakama hakama was a deep red silk. Next was a deep plum-colored hitoe, and the itsutsuginu layers painted a beautiful story with its spectrum of colorful flowers. The first layer of the series featured pure red spider lilies on silver fabric followed by a second layer with magenta Iaponica primrose. The third and fourth layers were comprised of coral-colored Mitsuba azaleas and peach anemone flowers. The fifth and sixth layers were rounded out by light pink fujizakura flowers, and pure white Iaponica dogwood on burnt-orange fabric. Next was the scarlet-colored uchiginu, or stiff support robe.

The following layer, the uwagi, was a magnificent imperial purple and had embroidered flames all along the hem of the sleeves. The jewel of the ensemble, the karaginu, was a snow-white short coat with two strips of color at the sleeves. A thin strip in a rich tangerine color was sandwiched between two thin strips of deep carmine. The Emperor surmised that a large flaming phoenix spanned the entire back of the garment, as he could clearly see its wings extending over the shoulders to the front. He could also see the belt of the m _ō_ , shiny silver with phoenix feathers embroidered on it. He could not see the back of the train, but guessed that it was most likely as stunning as the rest of the ensemble.

Her hair was coiffed in the typical suberakashi style of the era. She had floor-length silky black locks pulled back into a simple ponytail around her mid-back. It was cut at the sides of her face in a layered fashion and a golden ornament featuring a phoenix sat regally upon her forehead. The Emperor was simply speechless as he looked over the heavenly maiden before him. He was completely enraptured by the beauty and grace and stood in stunned awe.

The goddess' amused voice rang out in the silence, suddenly shattering him out of his reverie.

"Well?"

The Emperor shook his head to get himself back to Earth and then cleared his throat before he spoke.

"I'd say that you were _very_ successful indeed, Goddess Elianna Sama. You are a vision of elegance, refinement, and poise."

The goddess smiled, temporarily raising the brightness of the room so much that the Emperor had to shield his eyes with his sleeve.

"I am very pleased. Although, I must say… these layers are a bit heavy and quite cumbersome. How do the women of your land manage to walk with such weighted vestments?"

The Emperor smiled wryly.

"Very slowly and with lots of assistance."

Another giggle made its way past the deity's lips and the Emperor's heart was set aflutter once more.

"You must be wondering, brave warrior, why I have come to appear before you."

"Yes, Goddess Elianna Sama. I am incredibly honored to be standing here before you today. I am not aware of any instances where an ancestor, other than Katsuki Hideo, came to be in your presence. Forgive me, but I am especially curious as to why _I_ have been chosen."

"Allow me to explain. As you are aware, at the time my husband and I created the twin swords, we removed some magic from within ourselves and used it to create the noble creatures whose souls make up their core. Something went a bit awry at the time...something we had not planned to happen. What we did not anticipate were the shards of our own souls slipping out, unnoticed, along with our magic."

The Emperor stood before his goddess in stunned silence _. His sword had a fragment of the goddess' soul residing within it?_

"We at first did not realize that this had happened, but as time went on my husband and I began feeling as if we were no longer 'whole'. Draconikus and I are soulmates, mated and bonded. Those missing pieces have brought us increasing discomfort and pain over the last few centuries. They long to be together and yearn to return and be reunited. I see my beloved every day before me, but my heart aches as if he were not there."

The Emperor was incredibly saddened to hear of the Goddesses' suffering. The Gods had saved humanity from complete destruction by stepping in and providing it with tools to fight for itself. Without the Gods' sacrifice, humanity would not presently exist. It was heartbreaking to find out that they were suffering even more greatly because of it.

"Forgive me for asking, Goddess Sama, but was there no way to simply remove your soul shards from the swords?"

The Goddess shook her head, her eyes briefly filling with melancholy before she spoke.

"Unfortunately, that is not possible. To attempt a removal would have killed the soul of the noble creature within it. The swords would have shattered and your clan would no longer be able to use fire magic."

The Emperor gasped, the weight and seriousness of the situation crashing down up him in one fell swoop. The Gods longed to have their souls returned to them, but to do so would mean dooming humanity and undoing their original act of intervention.

"For the last five hundred years, those two soul shards have been frantically calling out to one another, desperate for reunification, yet the two clans never met during all that time. We were forced to sit back and watch helplessly, unable to interfere with the fates, nor influence any outcomes."

The Goddess' face lit up once more, filling the room with light yet again.

"But destiny has finally brought the two clans together and the soul shards trapped with the swords have reacted to each other. I'm sure you've noticed it as well."

The Emperor's eyes widened as he thought of how the two swords had glowed, hummed and thrummed at one other the instant they had been brought together. It all made sense now, the caged souls were rejoicing after having found one another once more.

"I believe that the reason for the two clans finally meeting after all this time is due to the fact that you and King Nikiforov are both the closest earthly representations of Draconikus and myself. Before mating Draconikus and becoming Queen of the Gods, I was a fiery, fierce battle-tested maiden. My power was great, but my capacity for love was even greater. I treated all those around me with great respect and cared for them all as if they were my own family. However, once I was crossed or betrayed, I rained down vengeance with an iron fist. I've been watching over you since the day you were born, Emperor Katsuki, and I see a lot of myself in you."

The Emperor didn't know what to say. He was standing in front of the Goddess of Fire and being told that he shared many of her attributes. To say that he was feeling humbled was an understatement.

"I'm afraid that this situation has unintentionally created a bit of a…dilemma…for you and the bearer of the Ice Dragon Sword."

The Emperor's head shot up and his heart began to beat wildly in his chest. It was no secret that whenever a god came into some problem, humans were usually the ones who ended up paying the price for it. A million questions flooded his mind at that moment, but the Emperor chose to remain quiet and wait for the Goddess to elaborate.

"When Goddess Fang and God Claw 'met', the soul fragments within them activated. inexorably linking you two to one another. Since the pieces of our souls cannot return to our heavenly bodies, they must be reunited on Earth."

The Emperor's jaw just about dropped to the ground, his mind racing ahead and putting all the information together.

"Goddess Elianna Sama, is what you are saying is that King Nikiforov and I are destined to…be mated and bonded?!"

The Goddess sighed and stared awkwardly down at her hands.

"That is correct, brave fire warrior. Your soul is tied to the Goddess Claw as you are the current leader of the clan and the one who wields it. And as long as you wield the sword, you will be influenced by the fragment of my soul. The two soul fragments will pull at each other and gravitate unyieldingly toward one another until they become bonded once more. Draconikus and I will be made whole by proxy and balance will be restored."

The Emperor remained silent and he processed everything that he'd been told. The more he thought about it, however, the more incensed he became. The Goddess instantly picked up on his distress.

"You are…displeased."

"Forgive me Goddess, I am."

"There is no need to ask for forgiveness. _I_ should be the one prostrating myself before you. You have been dealt a rough hand and had a situation forced upon you that you did not ask for. Your feelings are perfectly normal and understandable. Please Katsuki Yuuri, I demand that you be as candid as possible with me."

"Very well."

The Emperor clenched his fists at his sides as he tried to control his rising anger.

"I was born into this role and grew up being told who to be, what to say, and what to do. The weight of humanity's hope was placed squarely upon my shoulders, and although I did not ask for the responsibility, I strove to do my best and become humanity's strongest hope. I accepted my fate and sacrificed everything I had, knowing that I would at least have control over whom I chose as my life partner. And now…now I'm told that even _that_ has been taken out of my hands!"

The Goddess wept helplessly at the Emperor's despair, each drop crystallizing into a clear gemstone before skittering across the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry that this cruel twist of fate has befallen you. We did not know…we did not intend for this to happen!"

"But it _did_ happen, whether you intended it or not! Was there no way that we could have been warned? That this...situation could have been dealt with before my generation?"

"I'm sorry, it was impossible! That would have constituted as interfering with the fates...and not even a God is exempt from punishment if they choose to do so! We had no choice but to sit back and watch."

The Emperor's entire body trembled with rage as he grew more and more incensed.

" _You_ were able to choose your mate and fall in love with him. How will _I_ ever know if my mate loves me for _me_ and wants to be with me, and is not just being driven by a God's soul in a sword?! You have doomed me to a loveless partnership driven out of _duty_!"

"I understand your concerns, dear Emperor. Please take comfort in the fact that you and the King are _extremely_ compatible. As I mentioned before, I have been watching over you. I noticed that there were sparks between you even before your swords came into play. Certainly, you noticed it as well?"

The Emperor rubbed at his temples in frustration. He could not deny that he had immediately been attracted to the ruler of Occidentis, but he was now wondering if that had been his own reaction or simply one dictated by the godly soul shard in his sword. He was rethinking and doubting every thought and feeling, every flirtatious action. What annoyed him the most was that he had thought that all those actions had come from himself. What surprised him was the crushing disappointment that they hadn't. He actually _liked_ the King, and had thought that perhaps he had finally met his match. Now everything he knew had been flipped on its head, and he felt like he didn't know anything anymore.

He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up to see what was happening. The Goddess had extended her hand, palm up, directly in front of her. One of her crystallized tears floated up from the ground and levitated gently until it landed on her palm. She stared lovingly at it before looking up to face the Emperor.

"A Goddess' tear is one of, if not _the_ most powerful artifact in our world. It has the power to grant wishes and would normally never be offered to a mortal."

The crystal gem lifted off the Goddess' hand and floated toward the Emperor until it was hovering directly in front of his face.

"I offer this to you, as a token of my deepest and most sincerest apologies."

The Emperor reached out and took the gem, almost instantly overwhelmed by the immense power radiating from it.

"This gem has the power to heal a mortal wound, negate any spell or ailment...human, demonic or otherwise. It has the power over death and may be used to return someone to the land of the living."

The Emperor was absolutely awed. He was stupefied by the massive powers contained within the tiny little crystal. He did not feel as if he were worthy enough to be trusted with such power.

"But most importantly, this gem has the power to sever your link to my soul fragment in your sword. It can become whatever solution you need it to be, but can only be used once."

The Emperor looked down at the little crystal, his heart suddenly filling with hope. In the same moment, however, reality came crashing back down and he looked at the Goddess with horror.

"But...what would that mean for you? For God Draconikus? For King Nikiforov?"

The Goddess' mouth formed a sad little smile.

"My soul shard will continue seeking its other half, sparing your generation but manifesting itself in another. The Goddess Tear only has the power to affect one person, whether that be yourself or another. If you use it on yourself, King Nikiforov will carry on searching for his other half, and any of his ties to you will be severed. You will be free to choose your own mate once more."

"Is there no possible solution for the King? It seems...rather callous to offer only _one_ of us a solution when we're both affected by this predicament."

"Ah, how it brings joy to my heart that you can still think of others in this situation. You make me proud, and give me hope, Katsuki Yuuri."

The Goddess closed her eyes for a minute and then reopened them to look at the Emperor once more.

"The King is currently receiving his _own_ visit from Draconikus. I have communicated my decision to my beloved and he will offer the same choice to him as well."

 **_terminology_**

 _ **shōzoku:**_ vestments worn by the Shintō priests of Japan during the performance of religious ceremonies.

 _ **hō:**_ top/shirt of the _shōzoku_ , colored and sometimes patterned. Worn belted

 _ **kanmuri**_ _: headdress worn with the Seiso robes._

 **天火神社** **(Tenpi Jinja):** Heavenly Fire Shrine, my made-up name for this story. Based on the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko (I've been there, it's such a beautifully stunning shrine set in a mountain background.)

 **chōzubachi:** a Shinto water ablution pavilion for a ceremonial purification rite known as temizu. The worshipper first washes their left hand, right hand, mouth and finally the handle of the water ladle to purify their bodies before approaching the main Shinto shrine.

 **jūnihitoe:** a set of formal and highly complex kimono garments worn only by court-ladies in Japan. Translated, the term means "twelve-layer robe", however, the number of layers varies, and during the Heian period up to fifteen or twenty layers of kimono may be worn.

 **suberakashi:** Heian era hair style for noble ladies featuring very long hair, only cut at the sides of the face in a layered fashion, and sometimes worn tied back. An ornament is sometimes work on the forehead.


	34. A Noble Dragon

Hey guys! Here's another super descriptive, research-laden chapter for you guys! This one features the dream sequence Viktor had with the Ice Dragon God. Here's a document with pictures and colors and details and such. Enjoy!

document/d/16m8kmLkOd4k_6Le7GD_x6RjPUZMqNmHDpUF4jMFyO7s/edit?usp=sharing

 **Chapter Text**

As the Emperor had been living out his encounter with a goddess, the King was having his own brush with a heavenly entity. The circumstances of his dreamscape were very different, however, with the only similarity being that the ruler from Occidentis had also found himself wearing priestly robes. He was clothed in a metallic silver silk brocade Sticharion, a band of gold spanning the full circumference of the hem and a line of golden embroidered leaves right above it. Next was the Prussian-blue Epitrachelion, a double stole bordered in gold and featuring a design of alternating golden stylized dragons and crosses. Over that was the sapphire-blue Zone, or belt, a band of gold along the top and bottom. There was a single cross at its center, and it was flanked by golden snapdragons on either side. On his left hip was a Nebedrennik and on his right hip was a Palitza. Both ornately decorated, and proof of his rank as high-priest. Each was an award earned and symbolic of his status as a master spiritual warrior.

Worn over it all was a stunningly intricate Phelonion, also in Prussian blue, with a solid band of gold running along the hem and the collar, as well as across the chest. Just above the solid golden band was another band, this one in white and featuring a delicate vine with leaves branching out from it and a few loose ones falling around it. Between the hem of the Phelonion and the golden band was an expanse of navy blue fabric. On it was two elegantly embroidered silver winged dragons, facing each other. The dragons were surrounded by silver and leafy vines and were the crowning jewel of the masterful final piece. The King obviously couldn't see that back of the garment but imagined that it was as dazzling as the front. On his wrists was a pair of matching Epimanikia, or cuffs. Each had a solitary golden cross-stitched onto it and bordered in gold. On his head was a Prussian blue Mitre with golden trimming, its base rimmed in sapphire blue and silver.

When he'd first opened his eyes, he had found himself standing in front of the Храм ледяного дракона, a building he had hastily been taken to when his premature inheritance of the dragon sword had occurred. His breath had caught in his throat as he'd stood in front of the massive main gate. It had been over ten years since he'd last been there, and it seemed even more magnificent than the first time he'd seen it. He had always wanted to return, but his royal duties kept him very occupied and close to home.

The gates had opened for him, seemingly of their own accord, and he had walked into the main foyer of the giant castle. He'd felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of hallways and passageways stemming from the open space and had worried that he would get lost. His memory of the place was quite fuzzy and he didn't think he'd be able to find his way back to the holy chambers. Thankfully, he didn't have to rely on his memory, as he'd felt an overwhelming pull toward the inner sanctum of the castle. He allowed the sensation to guide him and walked the eerily empty halls, the sound of his echoing footsteps the only thing keeping him company. As he'd approached the center of the castle, the pull grew stronger and he knew that he was close. As he came upon a set of golden double-doors, he knew that he'd finally arrived at the right place.

Once again, the doors opened of their own volition, a blindingly radiant light pouring out of the room as they did so. The King shielded his eyes with the billowing sleeve of his Phelonion and he pushed forward and walked into the room. There was such an aura of power in the room that it literally brought him to his knees. A warm male voice was then heard, its kindness filling the entire space and shooting straight into the monarch's heart.

"Welcome, Viktor Dimitrievich Nikiforov, to the temple of your God. I have taken a form you will be able to gaze upon and perhaps easier to relate to."

When the King had opened his eyes he saw before him the earthly representation of the Occidentis god Род. On a gilded golden throne sat an older gentleman with long white wavy hair that fell past his shoulders. His matching white beard was quite long and luxurious, blending in seamlessly with the hair around it. A long and thick mustache flowed into the beard and gave him a very distinguished look. Sitting atop his head was a striking golden winged dragon circlet, a dragon head carved at its center and its long wings extending beautifully upward. He wore a robe in a streaky blue opal tone with golden dragons spanning the hem and cuffs, cinched with an ornate golden belt adorned with dragons around its circumference. The belt featured a dragon head buckle, a fierce expression on its face. On the celestial being's shoulders sat a glistening red satin cape, golden dragons embroidered along the edge and offset by a heavy golden clip on the right shoulder.

The King was in absolute awe as he stared at the deity before him. He was rather surprised to find himself standing before the Ice Dragon God Draconikus himself. He had, of course, known about him since he could talk, and had heard all the stories and lore behind the intervention of the gods and the creation of the ice dragon sword. He was curious as to what the God would want with him.

"You are masterfully sublime, Lord Draconikus. I do not know what you normally look like, but I can honestly say that this aspect suits you perfectly."

"Thank you, King Nikiforov. I am pleased that you find my form acceptable. I'm afraid that we must cut the pleasantries short and get right to the heart of why I came to appear before you today."

"Yes. Lord Draconikus."

"Let's start at the beginning then, when the gods decided to intervene in the fate of humankind…"

The King was in absolute shock. Souls and swords, his destiny and the Emperor's entwined?

"Forgive me My Lord, this is all…a bit overwhelming. A fragment of your soul, which cannot return to you, exists in my sword? And a fragment of the Goddess Lady Elianna's soul exists in the same predicament in the Emperor's Sword?"

"That is correct, young Ice Dragon. There are other complex dynamics also at work here, as even before you inherited the Божий коготь, you were destined to be the closest human incarnation of myself."

The King's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he fought to keep from sputtering and gasping aloud.

"I…I'm…incarnation… of god…you?"

"Indeed you are, and the Emperor is the incarnation of the goddess Elianna. My dear wife and I believe that our soul fragments became impatient after waiting for over 500 years to be reunited, and called out to their souls for resolution. Our actual souls then felt the need to embody themselves on Earth to speed up the process."

The King was floored. There was a lot to take in and process, and he wasn't sure where to even begin. Everything he'd ever known was suddenly upended and he found himself at a loss as to what it would mean for him and his life from there onward.

"I see the confusion and affliction clearly written on your face, young Ice Dragon. Fate and destiny are fickle creatures and even we gods are subject to their whims. We are deeply sorry that you got dragged into this and became involved in all our problems. We ourselves were unaware of what had transpired with our souls and the swords."

The King sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

"Fate and I aren't on the best terms, My Lord God. Fate first took my mother from me, and then my father shortly thereafter. I know all too well that it is futile to struggle against it or try to run from it."

As disappointed as he was that yet another aspect of his life had been hijacked by 'fate', the King preferred to remain optimistic and tried to find the silver lining in it all. If he was absolutely destined to be mated to someone, he could not think of a more suitable candidate than the Emperor. He had felt an instant attraction to him physically and become impressed by who he was inside and what he stood for. He had been, as Mila had correctly surmised, 'smitten' with him since even before their swords reacted to each other and the soul fragments had activated. Back before he even had the slightest inkling that he was the human incarnation of a god seeking out its soulmate. He was rather certain that he'd sensed a mutual attraction coming from the Emperor...from Yuuri…and clung to the hope that they would be able to get past the initial awkwardness of the fate business and perhaps even find happiness.

While the King had been lost in thought, the god's eyes began to glow white-hot and he seemed to go into a trance for a few seconds. The King watched the curious display quietly, wondering what was going on, but too polite to inquire about it or comment on it. The glow then gradually dissipated and the celestial being's eyes returned to their original ice-blue color.

"I apologize for that, King Nikiforov. Goddess Elianna and I share a powerful telepathic bond, and it allows us to communicate with one another, regardless of the distance, plane or dimension."

The King was rather impressed. Being able to connect with your mate at any place and any time would be a very useful and comforting skill to have. Imagine, simply reaching out and getting in touch with them whenever you wanted!

"The Goddess Elianna has offered a solution to the Emperor and has instructed me to do the same for you."

The King was confused. Solution? To what?

The god reached up with his right hand and plucked some hair from his head, his mustache and then his beard. He placed the strands on the palm of his left hand and rolled them between his two palms until it formed a ball. He then pressed his two hands together firmly, a bright flash of light momentarily filling the room as he did so. When he

pulled his hands apart, a shimmering and pearlescent opal was revealed. It was dappled with flecks of aquamarine, coral, and sapphire and glittering beautifully. God Draconikus held out the precious stone and it floated effortlessly toward the King, and hovered in front of his face. He reached out tentatively and took it, feeling a nearly-overwhelming pulse of power as he did so.

"This gemstone here; Dragon Mane, has the power to save any mortal being from a fatal wound, cancel out any enchantment or blight...whether the source be from a human, demon or magical creature. More importantly, it has the power to disjoin your link to my soul fragment from your destiny."

The King could not hold in his gasp as he stared down at the shiny jewel, stunned by all the power and influence contained within it. He was suddenly very uneasy about holding such absolute authority over life and death in his hands.

"I sense your trepidation at having access to a god's influence, but fear not young Ice Dragon, the jewel may only be used by you. In the hands of anyone other than yourself, it will be immediately rendered into a simple decorative item."

The King breathed a sigh of relief. Glad that there were contingencies in place to prevent such power from falling into the wrong hands.

"Will the Dragon Mane only work on me or can it be used on the behalf of others?"

"It will work on any living creature you choose to direct its power at. It may only be used once, however, so choose wisely."

"Forgive my ignorance, Lord God, but what will happen to the Emperor if I use it to go against my fate, but he does not?"

"Ah, yes. Allow me to explain. The Emperor will continue to be bound to the soul fragment and carry on searching for his 'other half' until the day of his death. He will live out the rest of his life alone."

The King brought a hand up to his mouth, eyes growing incredibly wide before they overflowed with tears.

"No…no, no, no! That is…simply too cruel, my Lord God!"

The King looked down in horror at the innocuous little gem in his hand. He looked up at God Draconikus and shook his head vehemently.

"I'm sorry Lord God Draconikus, as much as I appreciate the generous offer, I am unable to accept something that has the power to bring such misery to someone I care about. Please take it back. I don't want it."

Genuinely shocked for what was likely the first time in his immortal life, the Ice Dragon God stood speechless as a mere human just turned down the most powerful artifact in the known world.

 **_terminology_**

 **Sticharion:** vestment worn under other vestments, and is a form of the baptismal garment.

 **Epitrachelion:** the double stole worn around the neck of every priest or bishop during liturgical functions.

 **Nabedrennik:** a rectangular piece of cloth worn on the hip. First award the priest will receive for service to the Church.

 **Palitza:** a diamond-shaped piece of cloth worn on the right hip. This award in the Slavic traditions is conferred after the pectoral cross.

 **Phelonion:** the large vestment worn over all of the other vestments.

 **Epimanikia** : are cuffs made of thickened fabric, usually brocade, that lace onto the wrists of a bishop, priest, or deacon. There is usually a cross embroidered or appliqued to the center.

 **Mitre:** an award given to an arch-priest after many years of service.

Храм ледяного дракона (Khram ledyanogo drakona) – Temple of the Ice Dragon

 **Род (Rod)** \- is a conception of supreme God of the universe and of all its gods in Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery).

 **Божий коготь** (Bozhiy Kogot) – God Claw


	35. The Show Must Go On

Hey guys! Here's the Google Docs link for all the outfits and stuff!  
document/d/1ovoEH77PZZrPdT2QwIPXFGhpreOsURjPm_B3Qam8xpo/edit?usp=sharing

 **Chapter Text**

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and groaned, his mind foggy and disoriented. He heard a loud thumping sound in his ear and came to realize that he was lying on top of something soft and warm. His hands fumbled around until they found purchase on solid ground and he was able to push himself up. He yawned loudly as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. What happened? Why was I asleep? He looked around and saw that they were at the hot spring, and it all came back to him. They had been bathing, the King had nearly drowned… Viktor! He looked down and gasped as he saw the King on his back, fast asleep. It immediately dawned upon him what the soft and warm something he'd been sleeping on was. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he brought both hands up to cover his mouth in an effort to keep any more sounds from escaping. The Emperor looked down, seeing that the foreign monarch's head was turned to the left, his chest rising and falling softly as he slept.

The Emperor's eyes were drawn to the soft pair of slightly parted pink lips that glistened temptingly in the flickering lantern light. He raised one of his hands and tenderly ran the pad of his thumb along their softness. He vaguely remembered feeling those lips against his own, and his brow furrowed in an effort to recall when that was. His eyes wandered further up, noting that the man's silver hair was still wet and currently plastered to his forehead. He brushed some of the hair back, careful to not disturb the sleeping man. Despite his best efforts, the ruler of Occidentis stirred and began to whimper in his slumber. It was a very distressing sound that cut right through to the Emperor's heart, and he wanted nothing more than to make it stop. He had to wake the King and get him out of whatever nightmare he was currently facing. He placed a gentle hand on one of the King's shoulders and gave it a gentle shake.

"Viktor, it's me Yuuri, please wake up."

Tears leaked out of the corner of the monarch's eyes and the Emperor redoubled his efforts. He opened his mouth again to speak and instead froze in his tracks as he heard a booming female voice inside his head.

"When Goddess Fang and God Claw 'met', the soul fragments within them activated. inexorably linking you two to one another."

The Emperor looked around, startled by the sound.

"Your soul is tied to the Goddess Claw as you are the current leader of the clan and the one who wields it. And as long as you wield the sword, you will be influenced by the fragment of my soul. The two soul fragments will pull at each other and gravitate unyieldingly toward one another until they become bonded once more."

The Emperor's blood turned to ice in his veins as he heard those hauntingly familiar words echoing in his ears. The dream…the Goddess…had it all actually been real? He felt a sudden weight around his neck and looked down to see a shiny crystal gem dangling on a golden chain. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand, trying to figure out why it was so familiar. Suddenly, it hit him…the Goddess Tear! The Emperor quickly dropped the gem, as if burned, once he realized what it was. He brought both hands up to his face as a sudden wave of despair threatened to overwhelm him. Kami help me, it was all real! Caught up in his inner turmoil, the Emperor did not notice it when the King's eyes slowly opened and the man groggily sat up.

When the King opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Emperor kneeling down on the ground next to him. His face was in his hands and a silken curtain of black hair cascaded all around him. The King's hand went up to his head and he was instantly annoyed to feel that his hair was all wet and pushed back from his forehead. He had always been self-conscious about the wide expanse of skin below his hairline and took great pains to make sure that the large area was tastefully covered. He suddenly felt vulnerable that it was exposed and hoped that Yuuri hadn't noticed it. He quickly used his fingers to redistribute the wet hair so that he had better coverage. Satisfied that he was at least somewhat more presentable than before, he reached out and gently placed a hand on Yuuri's arm. The Emperor was quite startled by the action and immediately jumped to his feet, rapidly backing away.

"A-ah…Vik-King Nikiforov. Glad to see that you're awake and well! You got a little overwhelmed by the heat and steam and briefly lost consciousness. But you're looking quite fine now. Are you fine? You're fine, right?"

The Emperor smiled nervously at the silver-haired leader of Occidentis and the King was instantly on guard, eyeing him suspiciously. The leader of Orientalis was suddenly acting quite strange and had even switched back to calling him by his title instead of his first name.

"Yes Yuuri, I'm fine. Are…you alright?"

"Me? Oh yes, I'm fine, very fine. Quite fine actually. The finest I have ever been!"

The King's eyes grew wider as the Emperor rambled on. There was something severely disconcerting about the Emperor's behavior, and it set him on edge. Something had severely rattled him, and the King was going to do his damnedest to find out what it was.

"You're not fine, Yuuri. What happened?"

The Emperor fluttered busily around the hot spring, seemingly ignoring the King's question. He went about gathering clothes and putting their belongings in order.

"We need to get dried and dressed. We've already been here much longer than I had originally planned. If we don't get going, we'll be late to the celebrations."

The King walked over to the Emperor once more and moved to place a hand on the man's arm. The Emperor saw what he was about to do and nimbly side-stepped him. The King huffed in frustration, annoyed that the Emperor was clearly avoiding all his efforts to get his attention and talk to him about what was bothering him. He opened his mouth to call Yuuri out on it but was stopped by the sound of an approaching horse.

"Emperor Katsuki Samaaaaaa! King Nikiforov Samaaaaaa! The celebrations will begin soon and Minami is coming to take you back to the camp!"

The King cursed under his breath in his native tongue and reached for the towel that had been in the bathing bag he'd been given earlier. He quickly dried off and grabbed his clothes, hastily throwing them on before rubbing at his hair until it was all fluffy again. Throughout the process, he had kept an eye out for the Emperor, who had pretty much been doing the same thing, but from a safe distance away. The ruler of Orientalis was being oddly quiet, and it bothered the King greatly. Judging by the rustling sounds coming from the nearby woods, the Emperor's attendant was coming closer and would be upon them soon. The King decided to make one last-ditch attempt to get through to the Emperor.

"Yuuri please, just talk to me. Whatever it is, I'll gladly hear what you have to say. Just please don't shut me out."

The Emperor turned to face the King, the conflict clearly playing out in his mahogany-brown eyes. He opened his mouth, and for a split second it looked as if he were about to say something, but then the one named Minami happened to come into the hot spring area, and the moment was lost. The King cursed under his breath again, irked by the interruption. Minami bowed deeply to the Emperor and then did the same for the King.

"Minami is very sorry to disturb the royal samas, but he has been sent to take you back to the camp now so that you will have enough time for final preparations before the celebrations tonight."

The Emperor nodded and hummed absentmindedly at his young servant, as he gathered the last of his belongings.

"Thank you Minami."

The Emperor turned to the King and was all business when he addressed him. Gone was the smile that had set his heart aflutter and all the warmth that had made him so welcome.

"The water at the hot springs contains many minerals and will require proper washing and rinsing when you return to camp. Please inform your attendants of this so that they may take the proper steps."

The King nodded and gathered his things wordlessly before making his way past both men of Orientalis and walking back to his horse. Once all three men were back on their horses, they made their way back to the camp in silence.

As soon as they were back at the camp, the two monarchs went their separate ways. The Emperor had hastily excused himself and the King had been left to shuffle his feet sullenly back to his tent. Once he was back inside, he immediately informed his attendants about the minerals in the hot spring water. They prepared a proper bath for him and set out a few clothing options for him to choose from. He removed his slightly damp clothing and handed them off to the nearest attendant before crawling into the make-shift tub that had been erected for this purpose. He sat in the water in silence, missing the concerned looks his attendants kept exchanging with one another. The King's mind was a million miles away as he replayed the evening's earlier events in his mind. What the hell happened back there?

As the Emperor sank down into the bathing basin, he sighed...again. He was still feeling severely rattled by the prophetic dream he'd had earlier and also the increasing levels of guilt over how he'd completely shut down on Viktor. He was confused by the foreign ruler's lack of reaction to the circumstances. He clearly recalled the goddess stating that the King was receiving the same information as he had been at that moment, yet the man was acting in a way that did not belie that fact. He wondered if the King's condition prior to the dream was affecting the situation and that perhaps his recollection would come a bit later.

The Emperor groaned and covered his face with his hands as he cursed the fates for putting him in this predicament. He mourned the loss of hope that had blossomed within him when he'd first met the King. No one had sparked such interest in him before. No one had drawn such rare flirtatious behavior from him before. He had hoped that he would have been able to get to know the ruler of Occidentis, and perhaps eventually become something more. He knew the King was interested and had certainly noticed the man's attraction toward him. They'd only known each other for a very short time, but their connection had been immediate. Since the goddess' revelation however, everything had been flipped on its head. After finally feeling as if he'd found his match, he now didn't know if it was because they were actually compatible or if he was just being a puppet of the gods. It was enough to drive him to the brink of despair. He gave his head a shake and forced himself to calm down. Everyone would be counting on him to kick off the celebrations with a speech, and he wouldn't be able to do that effectively unless he got his emotions under control.

The Emperor rose from the lukewarm water and stepped out onto a clean and dry mat. His attendants dried off his body and then moved onto his hair. A short while later, his long tresses were fully dried and oiled. They glimmered and shone like the wings of a raven. He was dressed in a white nagajuban, the robe-like first layer of the kimono, followed by a red montsuki kimono top. Next were the black hakama, which were embroidered with golden phoenixes, and the bottom half of the nagajuban and kimono were both tucked into it. Securing it all to his waist was a golden obi, and an ornate fan was tucked into it as soon as it was tied. A black silk haori-himo was draped over his kimono and a red montsuki haori jacket was the final layer. His hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and tied with a golden ribbon at the nape of his neck. He lifted his right foot to allow a tabi sock and geta to be slipped on, repeating the gesture with his left foot. He eyed himself critically and nodded, expressing his thanks to the attendants. They bowed deeply toward him and backed respectfully out of the tent, leaving him alone with his private demons once more.

At the integrated Occidentis camp, the King was also being washed and dressed for the celebrations. He had chosen a simple white blouse with billowing sleeves and ruffled collar. On top of that was a brocade half-sleeve satin jacket in midnight blue. Charcoal-gray breeches with a white stripe down each side were pulled on, and the bottom of the blouse was tucked into them. Black leather boots with white ruffles adorning them were pulled on next, and the breeches were inserted into them and then pulled out till they flared tastefully outward. A less formal short red cape was then draped over his shoulders and fastened across his chest. He thanked the attendants and politely dismissed them as they got to his hair, for he always preferred to style it himself. Once he was fully satisfied with his efforts, he took a deep breath and prepared to step out into the evening. Determination shone in his eyes like the stars in the night sky. He was going to get answers from Yuuri, one way or another.

The Emperor's celebration-opening speech went off without a hitch and drew feverish cheers from the crowd. The King's own speech added to the fervor and a group toast quickly followed. Once the celebrations had officially kicked off, the food and drink flowed freely. Everyone had been given free reign in terms of seating arrangements and there were many mixed tables containing soldiers from Orientalis as well as those of Occidentis. Lancer Nekola had ingratiated himself to the group of spear users from the foreign hosts and the bunch of them looked to be having a good time. A few were less gregarious and decided to stick to their own.

General Altin and Squire Plisetsky sat next to one another and seemed happily engaged in a conversation of sorts. Next to them were the royal assassin twins; Sara and Michele. The brother had made a full recovery from his demonic purging, and aside from some lingering weakness, he appeared to be doing quite well and seemed in fine spirits. The sister fussed busily next to him, refilling his plate with food as soon as it got half-empty. The Nishigoris sat together at one table with the ever excitable Minami and everyone sounded to be having a great time. At one of the mixed tables sat Minako and Mila, who appeared to be locked in the drinking battle of the century. Countless empty bottles of sake lay at their feet and a small crowd has gathered around them. Mila threw back her head and drained yet another glassful of sake. Slamming her fist down on the table and holding it out for more.

"Whaaaa! This has to be the most amazing stuff I've ever tasted! Kyaltaesi is renowned for its liquor, but even we don't have anything like this!"

Minako drained her own glass, laughing loudly as she refilled the Princess' cup yet again.

"I must admit that I am quite impressed by your capacity for alcohol, Akage no Hime. Your thin frame gives you a delicate appearance, but you have fire in your veins as well as your hair."

"Having elf blood helps a lot! I'm actually quite impressed by your ability to hold your own liquor. Humans are generally pretty useless at keeping up with elves when it comes to drinking. Many men have failed miserably in their attempts to out-drink me. I never thought I'd ever meet a human who could match me, let alone a human female. You have my respect, ninja woman of Orientalis!"

Minako smiled wickedly and winked at the red-haired woman across from her.

"What makes you think I'm human?"

The Elven princess tossed her head back as she laughed, a move that sent her jumble of

red curls bouncing playfully about her face. As she did so, she caught sight of the Emperor and the King sitting together at the head table, chatting amicably with one another.

She leaned over across the table, motioning with her index finger for Minako to come closer. As the shinobi came closer, the princess' voice took on a conspiratorial tone.

"What do think of the Emperor and the King together? Aren't they just adorable? I bet they'd have a magnificent partnership."

Minako smiled as she turned her head toward the two men in question.

"I have noticed an awful amount of lustful staring between them."

The princess covered her mouth as she attempted to suppress the giggles that wanted to burst out of her mouth.

"So you know how I can talk to and command animals, right?"

"Yes. Wonderful skill, you wield it beautifully."

The princess' cheeks colored at the compliment and she was thankful that they wouldn't be so visible in the cover of darkness.

"Well, I tasked a few friends to keep an eye on those two and report back with any interesting developments."

The royal shinobi seemed instantly interested and leaned in closer.

"Well? Did they?"

The princess bit the corner of her bottom lip and nodded eagerly, looking as if she was about to burst at the seams.

"Apparently...their swords really like each other."

Minako's eyes grew incredibly wide, and a split second later she burst into raucous laughter.

"Oh, I bet they do!"

The princess' control finally broke and she burst into laughter shortly afterward, adding to the cacophony of mirth.

"I wonder...what would happen...if their swords touched?"

Minako stopped laughing for a second and waited with her mouth hanging open as the princess did the same. The two of them then spoke in unison:

"...But just the tip!"

Both women exploded into a litany of roaring laughter, which quickly infected all those around them. The princess was the first to recover, wiping the tears from her eyes as she spoke.

"Sweet gods of Occidentis, that was the funniest moment I've experienced in a long time! I'm SO glad that your mind is as filthy as mine. That had the potential to become a rather awkward situation!"

The shinobi calmed herself and then locked eyes with the red-haired princess, fixing her with a stare that seemed to slice right down into her soul.

"The filth in my mind runs much, much deeper than that Akage no Hime. It would absolutely consume you."

The princess' whole body shuddered at the woman's seductive tone, and as she swallowed thickly at its implications, all she could think was that being consumed didn't suddenly sound that bad at all.

_terminology_

Akage no Hime (red haired princess)


	36. Long Drink, Long Night

The celebrations carried on late into the night and people only began clearing out once the alcohol ran out. Staff from both clans worked together to playfully shoo away some of the stragglers with brooms and cleaning supplies, while others tried - in vain, to silence the merry drunken choruses being slurred out by the more inebriated ones. There were happy and liquored up warriors staggering about the various corners of the camp trying to make their way back to their tents, while those who had lost the battle with consciousness had found a comfortable grassy corner to lay down in.

At the moment, a rather giggly elven princess was clumsily being escorted to her tent by a slightly less drunken ninja woman. Their uncoordinated steps caused them to veer off course and stumble more than once and were slowing their process down quite a bit. Mila smiled lopsidedly as she stared up at the sky, the stars teasing her eyes with their blurry sparkling. She couldn't remember the last time if any, that she had actually gotten drunk. Her elven genetics were designed to help her filter out alcohol much faster than most other races, yet here she was, utterly beaten and outdone by a mere human woman. The stormy-eyed Shinobi had drunk her under the table, over the table, and even around the table. She had been utterly decimated by what the phoenix clan called 'sake', a delicious but rather deceptively potent brew she had never encountered before, and which had wreaked havoc on her system. She felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside, while her outside scorched wherever it was in contact with the phoenix clan warrior.

"Akage Hime, we'll never get you back to your tent if you insist on staring up at the stars instead of walking."

Mila lowered her eyes and turned her head slowly to stare at the woman currently supporting her weight. When she opened her mouth to speak, a squeaky hiccup came flying out instead of the words she'd intended to say. Her eyes widened comically for a split second before she burst into uncontrollable laughter. When she laughed so hard that she snorted, it further fueled her fit. Minako shook her head and clucked her tongue at the drunken hot mess laughing hysterically in her arms. The princess was such a free spirit; bold, independent and always willing to speak her mind. It was refreshing to see such behavior from a royal, for usually, it was all bureaucracy and stiff protocols. She was enamored by the princess' stunning sapphire blue eyes, and how they shone with mischief and how her blood-red hair shone in the moonlight. What really drew her in, however, was the woman's mind. She swore it had to be just about as filthy, if not more, than her own. Their drunken banter had slowly descended into the pits of debauchery with each emptied glass of sake. Once she'd recovered enough from her giggling fit, the princess was finally able to speak.

"But the night is so preeeeeeeetty! Loooooooook, even the stars are dancing!"

Mila pulled away from the Shinobi and began twirling awkwardly under the glittering luster of the moonbeams. Given her drunken and uncoordinated state, however, it didn't take long for her to become disoriented and begin to fall. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact, but it never came. A strong arm had snaked around her waist gently, holding her in place and keeping her from toppling over. Mila looked up at the silvery orbs now directly in front of her face and gasped as she marveled at their beauty and intensity from up close. There were several varying tones of silver mixed in together, speckling in layers to create hypnotic swirls of gray.

Mila's gaze dipped lower and settled on the woman's plump and slightly parted dusky lips. Her throat suddenly went dry and she licked her lips to moisten them, not failing to notice how the Shinobi's eyes fixedly followed the movement. A slight breeze brushed past them and she caught wind of something heavenly. The foreign warrior's chocolate-colored tresses smelled of wild jasmine, an intoxicating scent that she'd only caught passing whiffs of during the night, but was now able to smell quite clearly. It was a provocative and exhilarating scent, and it went straight to her head. A warm hand was splayed on her lower back and Mila felt so much heat radiating from it that she could have sworn that it was burning a hole in her flesh. Heat pooled between her legs and butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach. A strong impulse took hold and she began to lean forward.

Instead of a kiss, however, the flame-haired princess suddenly found herself pressed up intimately against a wooden cart, her wrists gripped firmly by the Shinobi's hands and her arms pinned to her sides. Somewhat surprised and caught off-guard by the abrupt turn of events, she opened her eyes to look at the woman and ask her what the hell was going on. She was utterly unprepared for the look of pure lust and desire reflected in the woman's visage. When the ninja warrior spoke, her voice was low and husky.

"You are very tempting, princess. It has taken every ounce of my self-control to hold back from ravaging you. Make no mistake, my desire for you burns hotter than the flames that color your hair. I want nothing more than to kiss those pretty little lips of yours senseless, but I refuse to take advantage of someone in an inebriated state."

The Phoenix Clan warrior released her wrists and stepped backward and away from her. She bowed deeply toward the princess and winked cheekily at her before turning to walk away.

"You're at your tent now, princess. Please take care and have a good night."

Mila watched the Shinobi walk away, feeling more hot and bothered than she'd ever felt before in her entire life.

King Nikiforov was feeling angry, annoyed, and severely frustrated. He had tried all evening to get through to Yuuri and find out what was going on with him, but the man had staunchly refused to engage him in any of the conversations he'd tried to have with him and had instead babbled on incessantly about politics and other such nonsense. Gods, he's so damn stubborn! How is he so damn obstinate?! He had taken his frustrations out on his food during dinner, stabbing at and cutting the meat with overzealous gusto, all while trying to keep a fake smile plastered to his face and not let on that there was anything wrong. Later on, his tactics had moved on to alcoholic torture. He had lost track of exactly how many toasts he had actually proposed, but he'd made damn sure that he and Yuuri both drained their glasses as quickly and as often as possible. He'd had a front-row seat to the Emperor's fall into drunkenness and had been feeling pretty good about himself until he noticed the Orientalis leader reaching for the ties to his robe. He leaned in close and uttered a whispered hiss into the man's ear.

"Yuuri! What are you doing?"

The Phoenix Clan leader smiled goofily at him and hiccupped a couple of times before replying.

"I find myself…currently feeling…too hot for these garments."

Sweet gods! The man was trying to remove his clothes at the table! As upset as he was with Yuuri, the King did not wish to see such a good man embarrass himself in front of his subjects and foreign guests.

He had immediately stood up and excused himself from the table, stating that he and the Emperor would be having a private word before retiring to their respective tents for the night. He had pulled the Emperor up with him and half-dragged him to a quiet and secluded corner. He clucked his tongue in annoyance as he spied the man actively reaching for the ties to his robe yet again.

"Yuuri, get a hold of yourself! If you're too hot, just wait until you're back at your tent to disrobe."

The Emperor's brows furrowed together and his lips pinched together in a petulant little pout that the King still managed to find incredibly endearing, regardless of the circumstances at hand.

"Fiiiiiiiiine. I guess…I'll use…my fans!"

The Emperor reached into his obi and pulled out the two decorative fans he'd had tucked away in them. As he began fanning himself, loose tendrils of his silken locks began swaying in the breeze and wafting a musky-sweet scent in the King's direction. In an instant, the scent was recognized and he was flooded with a barrage of memories and nostalgia. His heart lurched painfully in his chest and his eyes widened in recognition. He knew that scent better than anyone. Orientalis wisteria had been his mother's favorite flower and she'd always incorporated a cluster or two into her hairstyle every day. The lilac-colored petals were elegantly soft and beautiful against his mother's lustrous silver hair. It had been her signature scent, and many at the castle had said that you could always smell the queen before you saw her. His eyes began to fill with tears and he brought a hand up to his mouth to stifle a sob.

The Emperor was on him a second, a warm and comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Viktor, Viktor…what's wrong?"

Overcome with emotion, the King could only shake his head as he tried to keep himself from falling apart.

"I know…I know what to do! Whenever I'm sad, I dance. I'll dance for you!"

The Emperor placed a finger under the King's chin and tilted it up so that their eyes met.

"Watch me and only me. Don't take your eyes off me."

The Emperor shuffled off to an area with a flattened patch of grass, leaving the King feeling also suddenly too hot for garments. The Emperor slowly lowered himself onto his knees, and bowed down until his forehead was resting on the back of his hands down on the ground in front of him. As he lifted his head and straightened his back, he reached for the closed fan that had been placed in front of him. He did so while pulling his sleeves back gracefully, his movements smooth and fluid. He nimbly stood up and began walking slowly forward, his knees still bent and the unopened fan in his right hand. When the fan was opened in a smooth and delicate movement of the arm, the King was mesmerized. What followed was an absolutely stunning sequence of arm movements and fan flourishes that were so captivating that the King would not be able to tear his eyes away even if he tried. There was no music in the air, but the Emperor danced as if there was. The King did not need to hear music, for the Emperor's body was making its own as he danced.

The King had never seen such dancing before and assumed that it must be something unique to Orientalis. The dances from Occidentis were beautiful in their own way, but there was something especially ethereal and serene about the dance he was currently witnessing. When the Emperor finally stilled, the King brought his hands together and clapped softly for the dazzling performance.

"Yuuri! That was beautiful!"

The Emperor began to walk over to him, but stumbled on his robes and swayed dangerously on his feet. The King was instantly by his side, a steadying hand on the man's lower back.

"Wooaaah, why is…everything spinning? Stop moving…around so much…Viktor."

The King chuckled, not failing to notice that with his guard down, the Emperor had resorted to calling him by his first name once more.

"I'm not moving around, Yuuri. You're drunk."

The Emperor swayed on his feet a bit more and smiled.

"Yes, that…sounds about…right."

The ruler of Orientalis brought a hand up and tapped the Emperor's nose with his index finger.

"I may…be drunk, but you're not...sad anymore."

The King smiled warmly at the Emperor and gazed down upon him with soft eyes.

"You are correct, thank you. Your beautiful dancing expertly dispelled all my sadness."

The Emperor leaned in and wrapped his arms around the King's waist, resting his head on the man's chest before giving him a tight squeeze. When he spoke, his voice was slightly muffled and came out as nearly-incoherent mumbling.

"I would gladly spend an eternity dispelling your sadness, Viktor."

The King tilted his head and lowered it in an effort to hear things a bit better.

"What's that, Yuuri?"

The Emperor's head suddenly shot up and, fueled by alcohol, boldly and brazenly declared his thoughts to the King.

"Be my consort, Viktorrrrrrr!"

The King's eyes grew so wide in his head that he feared for a moment that they would pop out of his skull. Had he just heard correctly? Were his ears deceiving him and playing tricks on his mind? Before he could formulate a reply, however, the Emperor was pulled forcefully away from him. When the King looked up, he saw the Ninja warrior woman gripping the Emperor firmly by one of his ears and shaking her head disapprovingly at her catch.

"Please forgive the Emperor's unbecoming behavior tonight, Your Majesty. He's never been able to hold his liquor and turns into a clingy octopus whenever he's had too much to drink. A rather unsavory trait passed down from his father, I'm afraid."

The King ran his hands over his clothing and pretended to be straightening out his jacket for a few seconds before clearing his throat and addressing the warrior woman.

 ***Ahem***

"Ah, it's no trouble at all, Lady Okukawa. I was just trying to get him back to his tent when he became a bit unsteady on his feet."

The warrior woman tipped her head in his direction and smiled. She also appeared to be hindered by drink, but still had her wits and coordination about her.

"You are very honorable, Your Majesty. I thank you for all your efforts tonight. I shall henceforth take charge of the care of Emperor Katsuki and ensure his safe and expedient return to his tent."

The King didn't want to cause trouble, so he just nodded and dipped his head toward the woman. She bowed deeply in return and then walked off, dragging a loudly plaintive Emperor behind her. Confused, and still unsure as to what exactly had happened, the King stumbled off to his own tent and settled in for the night.

Not many hours later, just before sunrise, the camp erupted into a flurry of uproarious panic. General Altin burst into the King's tent around the same time that Yuuko burst into the Emperor's. They had just received news from their respective kingdoms; a huge demon navy was on its way from both sides and would be converging on their island in a few days' time. The Demon King had heard that the two leaders were on the island together and had decided to act. He knew that they were vulnerable as neither leader had their army with them, and were woefully underprepared for a massive battle. The Demon King could not have dreamed of a more perfect opportunity to take out both of the thorns in his side in one fell swoop. He salivated at the thought of consuming the souls of both the Ice Dragon and the Phoenix. He would become the most powerful demon on Earth and no one, human or God, would be able to stop him. As his fleet set out from the harbor, he rubbed his hands eagerly in anticipation. He would gloriously snuff out both of their lives and end humanity's hope with his own claws.

 **_extra information_**

Yuuri's Dance.


	37. Magical Beginnings - Part 1

King Nikiforov stood alone in the grassy field, garbed in the most comfortable set of clothing he'd had with him; a pair of brown leather breeches, black leather knee-high boots and belted pale blue cotton tunic. His sword was clipped in at his left hip, but he was otherwise bereft of any armor or weapons. He stared out at the vast rustling grasslands before him, listening as each blade murmured secret whispers to him in the gentle breeze. He thought wryly of how at odds the tranquil scene was with the imminent carnage of the looming Demon War. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of nature, reflecting on how much life had been completely turned upside-down in just a matter of days.

He had gone from trying to find the ever-troublesome missing Squire Plisetsky and stopping a civil war from breaking out, to a historic first meeting with the leader of the Phoenix Magic Clan, forging an equally historic alliance with him, to the unified take-down of a Demon Lieutenant. Mila had nearly been taken from him and Michele Crispino had been saved from a catastrophic demonic possession on the brink of death. He'd managed to avoid a civil war, but was now preparing for an all-out assault on Demonkind. And, as if things weren't complicated enough, he had his growing attraction and feelings for the ruler of Orientalis to contend with. Life was a bit of a mess at the moment and all he could do was focus on one thing at a time.

"A ruble for your thoughts, King Nikiforov."

The King opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, not surprised at all to find the Emperor standing there. The man was a true ninja and had stealth down to an art form. He hadn't heard a single indication of his approach.

"Hmmm, I'd have a rather rapidly growing pile of coins here if that were case, Yuuri."

"I understand that quite a lot has happened in a very short period. I too wish we had the time to properly contemplate things."

The King nodded in understanding.

"But time is not a luxury we have at the moment. Contemplation is going to have to wait until _after_ humanity is safe."

"Agreed. Let us make haste then, King Nikiforov. You have a lot to learn in a short time."

The King stepped toward the Emperor, only coming to a stop once he was standing toe-to-toe with the slightly shorter monarch.

"We had previously agreed to drop the honorifics while in private company, _Yuuri_. I believe that I shall begin to feel quite insulted if you cannot honor your part of the bargain."

A small hint of surprise flashed in the shorter man's eyes, followed by a nearly-imperceptible nod of acknowledgment.

"You are right, _Viktor_. Please forgive me for my callousness. I did not intend any disrespect."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Viktor stepped back and bowed gracefully toward the ruler of Orientalis.

"Thank you, Yuuri. It means a lot to me that you are using my first name once more. Shall we get started, then?"

They sat across from each other on the warm grass, cross-legged and with their hands resting palm down on their knees. Yuuri guided him through some breathing exercises and after a few minutes, he finally began to relax. The tension seemed to leave his body and his mind was finally stilled and emptied of its turbulent thoughts.

"That's great, Viktor. You're doing very well. Keep up the breathing rhythm and don't open your eyes. Now, look deep inside yourself and try to find the source of your power."

Viktor scrunched his eyes more tightly closed as he tried to figure out what to do. He knew what Yuuri was asking of him, the instructions were simple enough, but didn't have the first clue about how to go about achieving it.

"Yuuri, I…don't know how."

"Worry not Viktor, just focus on my voice. When you use your magic, where does the feeling come from? Trace the source of that feeling."

The ruler of Occidentis' brow furrowed as he concentrated on finding that elusive point of origin. He tried imagining himself performing magic, really honing in on the sensation. It was then that he felt it, a fluttery tingle from deep within him. As he fixated on it, he realized that the feeling seemed to be coming from the pit of his stomach. He reached out toward it, envisioning himself grasping it physically in his hands. After a few seconds, he felt it tangibly enclosed within his grip.

"Yuuri…I've got it! I don't know if this makes any sense…but I'm holding it, right now."

"That makes perfect sense, Viktor. I'm glad that you found it. Now we're going to practice adjusting its intensity. You'll need to master this skill before you're able to channel more powerful magic."

"I'm ready, Yuuri. Tell me what to do."

"First, imagine your magical energy as a sphere. You can make this sphere enlarge or shrink according to the amount of magic needed. A reduction in the sphere size corresponds with lower magic output. This is also true for the inverse."

 _Viktor looked down at the shapeless matrix of white energy in his hands and imagined himself molding it. He watched in awe as it readily obeyed him and crystallized into a radiantly translucent blue sphere. He gasped, unable to contain his amazement._

"What is it Viktor? Talk to me. What do you see?"

When the King spoke, his voice was raw with barely-contained emotion. The sight before him was utterly astounding, and he was shocked that something like it had been inside him all along.

"Yuuri…it's…beautiful! It's like…a glowing shell of interconnected ice crystals with a luminous azure core. This is the form that my magic was meant to take? I…never knew."

The ruler of Orientalis smiled at the wonder and awe in Viktor's voice. He recalled his own first experience with finding and shaping the magic within him.

"When I was guided through this same exercise by my sensei; or teacher, I remember having a reaction quite similar to what you're currently experiencing. Magic seems like such an ethereal and elusive concept at first. It just 'happens' whenever you need it to, and you don't really think about where it comes from. It's quite humbling to see it 'alive' within you, is it not?"

Viktor nodded his head vigorously in agreement. It was as if the man had read his mind, for that's exactly how he was feeling at the very moment.

"What does _your_ magic look like, Yuuri?"

Yuuri's face colored slightly at the man's question. He felt inexplicably flattered that Viktor had taken an interest in the form his magic took. He subtly cleared his throat and shifted his weight slightly before answering.

"My magic is like a hot, brilliant ball of fire-light. Living flames lick along its surface and thin beams of burning light are emitted from within."

Viktor sighed dreamily as the imagery formed and filled his mind.

"That sounds exactly like you, Yuuri. On one hand it's fiery, fierce, and intense. On the other, it's elegant, alluring and dazzling."

The Emperor's face reddened vehemently at Viktor's flattery, and he was never more glad for the fact that the silver-haired man had his eyes closed at the moment and couldn't see it. Countless thoughts and emotions coursed through his body as he stared, wide-eyed, at the man before him. He'd been praised by people before, but their accolades had never evoked such a reaction from him. He cursed the fates for what was likely the umpteenth time since meeting the charismatic foreign ruler. Why did the gods take such delight in tormenting him with such circumstances? Had he not already suffered enough, sacrificed enough for the gods...for humanity? He'd managed to close his heart off for so long, and yet every single one of his defenses had crumbled powerlessly in the presence of the foreign King. The more he fought against it, the more entangled he seemed to become.

"Yuuri? What do I need to do next?"

The Emperor's mind was snapped back into focus by the King's voice, and he cussed under his breath for allowing himself to get distracted.

"First, let's work on shrinking the sphere until it is the size of a pearl. Focus all your attention on the sphere's current size and use your mind's eye to decrease its size. Let me know if you need help."

"Yes, Yuuri."

 _Viktor looked down at the sphere of magic he currently held in his hands. He imagined it getting smaller, and after a few pulses of light, it finally seemed to obey him and began to reduce in size. He kept pushing against it with his mind, not stopping until it had finally become the size of an average pearl._

"I did it! Yuuri, I shrank it right down!"

"That's marvelous, Viktor! Now use your magic to perform a minor spell. If your spell requires more magic than your current sphere size can hold, it will let you know."

Viktor tried to think of something simple, but that would still impress Yuuri somehow. He imagined a garden of blooming ice roses, but the sphere pulsed and buzzed at him. He recalled what Yuuri had said and took that to mean that the desired spell required more magic than the currently available output. So he imagined a fluttering of ice butterflies instead. Yuuri's gasp of delight confirmed that the spell had been a success.

"Viktor, they're stunning! They're so detailed and lifelike! One has landed on my hand and it's not even melting!"

Viktor smiled, a wave of pride bubbling up inside him. He had always paid great attention to detail whenever it came to creation magic, something he'd done since his early childhood years. He wished that he could see the look on Yuuri's face right now, but knew that he had to focus on the task at hand.

"Thank you, Yuuri. I'm glad that you like them. Shall I try increasing the sphere size now?"

The ruler of Orientalis seemed to hesitate before answering.

"Hmmm, you really shouldn't push yourself too hard on the first session. Normally shrinking and enlarging are done on separate days. It's a rather exhausting process and not recommended for extended periods."

"Yuuri, I'm fine. Please, let's continue. Given any other circumstances, I would agree with you. But we're running a bit short on time and need to get as much done within the time we _do_ have."

The Emperor sighed, not really pleased with himself for being willing to give in so easily, but the man had a point...they were woefully short on time.

"I concede your point. I shall allow you to continue, but only if you promise to let me know the instant you feel _any_ discomfort."

"You have my word."

Satisfied with Viktor's assurances, he allowed his body to relax once more, and got ready to continue guiding him.

"Excellent. Now let's practice increasing your magic and expanding the sphere. First, bring it back up to the size it was before."

Viktor did as he was instructed and easily returned the sphere to its starting size. He found that there was much less resistance in increasing the size than decreasing it. Yuuri had him hold it at that size for a few minutes before finally advising him to begin increasing it _very_ slowly. He did as Yuuri instructed at first, but after a little while he started feeling as if he had a good grip on the situation and decided to push things a little further by going a bit faster. That turned out to be a big mistake. All the magic that had been bottled up inside him for decades seemed to want to burst forth at once, and he was struggling to stem its flow.

"Yuuri...my magic...it's too..."

The Emperor had immediately picked up on the rapidly rising magic levels from the man across from him, and was on high alert.

"Viktor, slow down! Focus on the shape and bend it to your will. You _must_ contain it! An uncontrolled pulse will be fatal to any living creature nearby!"

The King grunted and panted as he struggled to curb the rampant levels of magic expanding speedily from his core. Sweat formed on his brow as the effort began to take a toll on his body. The more he struggled, however, the clearer it became that he wasn't going to be able to stop it.

"Help me, Yuuri! Please! I...can't...stop...it!"

Not knowing what else to do, the Emperor reached out and took the King's hands into his own. The moment they were connected, magic began to flow between them. Both men entered a trance-like state as a dome of white light formed around them.

 _ ***Start Viktor's vision sequence***_

Viktor floated around aimlessly in a space flooded by blindingly white light. He had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there, but knew that there was someone that was supposed to be there with him. A face instantly came to mind and he called out for Yuuri. Immediately, the white light faded away and he found himself in a foreign room with two people in it; an adult and a young boy. The man was standing, tall and rigid, while the young boy was sitting on his knees before him with his head bowed low.

He stepped forward to take a closer look and instantly recognized the clothing as that worn by the people of Orientalis. As he got to the point where he could get a better look at their faces, he saw that the child looked strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He was in the middle of wracking his brain trying to gauge who the two mystery people were, when the man spoke. Strangely, although Viktor was certain that they were speaking in Iaponica, he was able to clearly understand every single word that was spoken.

" _Father may have been a tyrant, but at least he got things done and did not hesitate to take up arms for the sake of the kingdom. My older brother, your useless pacifist father, only served to tarnish the Katsuki name and bring shame to the Phoenix Magic Clan."_

The young child remained silent, but Viktor noticed that his fists seemed to clench a little _tighter._

" _ **I**_ _should have become Emperor. I was always much better-suited for ruling than your spineless father. I would have served the kingdom and the Gods magnificently._ _ **My**_ _son should be the one training to inherit the Goddess Fang."_

The man leaned down and grabbed the boy's chin with his hand and roughly jerked his head up.

" _Instead, I am tasked with mentoring the weak and snot-nosed spawn of a coward."_

When the boy's face became visible, Viktor recognized it immediately as belonging to a younger version of Yuuri. He knew that he was likely witnessing a memory of some sort and wouldn't be able to interact with any part of it, but still wished for nothing more than to slap that man's hand away and give him a piece of his mind. He was absolutely incensed that someone was treating Yuuri like that. Especially since that someone was claiming to be family. And even though he was seething inside, he had no choice but to stand back and watch everything play out. In the very next moment, a young but strong voice broke the silence.

" _I'm_ _ **not**_ _weak."_

The adult man snorted in disgust as he released Yuuri's chin.

" _Even if you are, you won't be once I'm through with you. I've been assigned as your combat training coach, and I refuse to have any other failures tarnish this family's name. You_ _ **will**_ _become the best warrior in the land, or you will die trying."_

Young Yuuri tilted his chin up defiantly and straightened his spine as he fixed a steely gaze upon his uncle's face.

" _I won't disappoint you."_

The man's sinister sneer was the last thing Viktor saw before the scene changed.

The next thing Viktor witnessed was a series of memories that seemed to begin around the time of the first one and up to the point where Yuuri had reached adulthood and inherited the Goddess Fang. Each memory was more horrific than the one before it, and by the end of it all, his heart was aching painfully in his chest and the tears were just pouring out from him.

He had watched a resolutely stubborn Yuuri receive more physical punishment than necessary during his training sessions with his uncle. The man simply seemed to take particularly cruel delight in inflicting pain on his nephew. Yuuri always bore it in silence and never complained. It was clear that everything the man had done had been in an effort to break Yuuri's spirit, but child-Yuuri had never once given him the satisfaction. Only at night, when the Shinobi woman would come in to treat his wounds and massage his aching muscles would he allow himself to show the pain that certainly threatened to overwhelm him. Viktor was utterly appalled by the number of cuts and bruises on Yuuri's young body, and realized with bitter clarity the true source of all the scars on his back. He had reached out to Yuuri once the woman had left, wishing desperately that he could touch, soothe and comfort the young man. He crouched down next to the bed and spoke to the memory before him.

"You'll be great someday, Yuuri. The greatest. You **will** be loved. Please wait for me."

He saw much more of Yuuri's life play out before him after that, each scene flowing seamlessly in front of him as though he were living it himself.

Yuuri had not been allowed to see his father during all those years. The elders had feared that his 'cowardly ways' would influence the future Emperor somehow and did not want to risk another 'weakling' on the throne. Contact with his mother had been limited as well, lest she coddle and emasculate him. Not wanting to risk a military coup, his parents had reluctantly agreed to the terms. Yuuri had been forcefully alienated from his parents for most of his life. Viktor learned that there was also a younger sister in the family, but she was nearly never seen.

Toshiya Katsuki was a kind man who treated everyone with the respect he felt they deserved. He was not a war-monger, preferring to settle disputes through negotiation and compromise. His own father, Yuuri's grandfather, had ruled with a ruthless iron fist and had relied more heavily on the fear of his subjects rather than their respect. Toshiya had vowed to be a completely different ruler and had indeed been the polar opposite of his father. All these traits had always been seen as 'weakness' by his generals though, and especially so by his envious brother Tanaka. Tanaka Katsuki had won the favor of Toshiya's generals early on, as most of them saw the younger brother as more suitable for leadership than the younger one. They had pledged their allegiance to him should he ever challenge his brother to the throne.

Yuuri was the last hope, in a way. The generals knew that it was treasonous to attempt to overthrow the Emperor as long as there was a viable male heir that could still be molded and shaped into the 'ideal ruler'. So Tanaka Katsuki had set out to prove that Yuuri was as 'gutless' and undeserving of the throne as his father. His plan would have worked out, too...had Yuuri not ended up being the most stubbornly unbreakable brat he'd ever taught. Every single one of his efforts had failed, and in the end, Yuuri had inherited the Goddess Fang, ascended to the throne, and been hailed as the strongest Emperor in the entire history of the clan.

Viktor had nearly burst with pride when he'd seen Yuuri exact the perfect revenge on his conniving uncle. As soon as he'd taken the throne, he'd assigned his uncle and his family to a far-flung and desolate outpost in the furthest corner of their kingdom. He had dismissed each one of the generals who had sided with his uncle, reassigning them to dull and bureaucratic jobs instead. Yuuri had forged new alliances with three other kingdoms in Orientalis and their first-born sons served as his generals. He had brought hanyou Kitsune into the alliance as well, a first in the history of the clan. Yuuri had managed to balance military might, and strength with respect for his subjects and excellent diplomacy skills. He had truly become a remarkable man, one Viktor now realized he was hopelessly in love with.


	38. Magical Beginnings - Part 2

Yuuri shielded his face as a blinding white light exploded all around him, and squeezed his eyes shut to keep out the intense glare. When he sensed that the brightness had finally dimmed, he lowered his arms and looked around, finding himself surrounded by empty white space. He looked around cautiously, expanding his senses in an effort to pick up any clues as to where he was. Although the situation felt eerily similar to his dream encounter with Kami Sama, he did not sense any omnipotent aura. He began walking around aimlessly, hoping for something…anything…that would reveal his location to him. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation tugging at the corners of his awareness. His brow furrowed as the sensation grew stronger and more familiar. He focused all his efforts on the feeling, eyes widening in recognition as one word…a name…came to mind; Viktor.

Immediately, the setting changed. The whiteness faded away and was replaced by a scene of pure splendor and opulence. He was in a royal room of sorts, the décor and architecture clearly indicative of a castle in Occidentis. He looked around in awe, drinking in as many details as he could. He was very intrigued by the stark differences between the royal styles of east and west. In Orientalis, nature was the predominant theme in royal castles. Cherry blossoms, wisteria, and chrysanthemum were the most commonly used plants, and the focus was on harmony between the elements. In Occidentis, it seemed to be all about precious metals and gems. It was a blatant display of wealth and power, meant to awe and intimidate. Although Yuuri could appreciate that everyone had their own unique style, the Occidentis designs were simply too outlandish for his liking.

His ears picked up on the sound of a door being unlocked and he turned his head in the direction of the source. Two heavy wooden doors were pushed open, and a pair of armored guards stepped through into the room first. They quickly scanned the room before returning to the door and standing guard at either side. A woman stepped past the guards and into the room, and Yuuri's jaw nearly dropped to the ground when he caught sight of her. In had walked the most ethereally beautiful and stunning woman he'd ever seen outside of Orientalis. His mind was telling him that she was a mere mortal woman, but his eyes could have sworn that they were looking upon a goddess. She had pale skin and long silver hair that almost reached the ground. It was worn loose around her shoulders with only a crown and sprigs of Japanese wisteria adorning it. Yuuri paused for a second, unsure as to how he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the flowers in her hair were Japanese wisteria, given that the woman was still too far away for him to have known for certain.

The rustling of robes drew his attention back to the woman, and he resumed his admiration. She wore garments that were clearly of high quality, their splendor adding to, but not overshadowing her natural beauty. She wore a long floor-length garment with long sleeves and a high collar. Yuuri racked his brain as he tried to remember what kimonos in Occidentis were called. _Dress? Yes, that's what they're called._ He recalled hearing about dresses and gowns from Minako after one of her many undercover missions. The Queen's dress was elegant and beautifully fitted to her frame. It was mostly a black color, with a panel of a different colored material down the front, on the high collar and sleeves. The material was a deep purple color, and matched the same shade of the wisteria flowers in her hair. It was a rather simple gown, looking slightly at odds with the excess and lavishness of the surroundings. The woman walked until she reached a trio of ornately decorated chairs, which Yuuri presumed were thrones. Upon reaching them, the woman sat herself down on the middle one.

Yuuri carefully approached the throne, eager to take a closer look at the regal monarch. He was quite sure by now that this was just some kind of vision he was experiencing since the woman did not react at all to his presence. As he neared the fair lady, he was able to look more closely upon her features. He was finally near enough to glimpse into her eyes, and as he did so, he instantly recognized the familiar sapphire orbs. They were a slightly different hue, darker and richer, but still absolutely unmistakable. He put everything together: silver hair the color of luminous moonlight…eyes like the deepest depths of the sea…he knew then that he had to be looking into the face of Viktor's mother. His hunch was verified a few minutes later when the doors opened once more and the guards announced the arrival of the royal Prince. Yuuri watched, transfixed, as a younger version of Viktor walked stoically into the room.

Boy Viktor was wearing sleeping garments, and his long silver hair swayed hypnotically as he took measured steps toward the queen. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on Viktor, he'd been entranced by the man's handsome and exotic features, but seeing him now with long hair caused him to be struck even more by his beauty. The boy stopped to look over his shoulder at the guards still waiting at the door.

 _'I'd like to speak to my mother alone, please. You are dismissed.'_

Yuuri's eyes widened in shock, startled when he realized that he had actually understood every single word Boy Viktor had spoken. The guards looked over to the queen, and she dipped her head in acquiescence. The two men bowed deeply toward the two royals and then backed out of the room, closing the doors once they'd crossed the threshold. The moment the door was closed, Viktor's entire demeanor changed. He relaxed his stiff posture and a huge heart-shaped smile lit up his entire face a split second before he launched into a run. The queen's smile matched her son's as she opened her arms wide, ready to receive him. Boy Viktor catapulted himself into his mother's waiting arms, nuzzling her neck affectionately as he crawled into her lap and made himself more comfortable.

 _'Mama, I've missed you!'_

The queen looked down lovingly at her son, petting his hair as he snuggled in closer to her body.

 _'I've missed you too, Vitya.'_

Boy Viktor pouted prettily as he stared up into his mother's face.

 _'I wish you didn't have to waste all day meeting with all those smelly and boring old people. I wish that you could get away and come spend some of that time with **me**.'_

The queen sighed dramatically before looking around the room conspiratorially and leaning in close to her son's face.

 _'Can I tell you a secret?'_

Boy Viktor nodded eagerly, making a gesture akin to sewing one's lips shut.

 _'I wish that I didn't have to waste my whole day meeting with smelly and boring old people either.'_

The young boy burst into raucous laughter, hands flying to his stomach as he nearly doubled over with mirth.

 _'M-m-mama! Shhh! If father finds out, he'll have a fit!'_

 _'Well, that's why I said it was a secret, silly boy!'_

The woman winked cheekily at her son, her lips forming into a heart-shaped smile as she did so. Yuuri watched the exchange in awe, his eyes darting back and forth between mother and son. Children often turned out to be a mix of their parents' features, commonly taking slightly more after one parent than the other. But Viktor looked so much like a near carbon-copy of his mother, that it was uncanny. The two then fell into comfortable conversation, the Queen showing keen interest in how her son was progressing in his studies and training. Soon, Boy Viktor's eyes began to droop and he started yawning frequently. His mother gently nudged him off her lap and then got up from the throne.

' _Come zhizn' moya, it's time for bed. We have a big day tomorrow and you need your rest.'_

The young boy nodded sleepily as he stifled another yawn, reaching out for his mother's hand as they walked toward the doors. The Queen extended her right hand and made three rapid successive knocks on the door. Both doors immediately swung open and they were greeted by the same two guards.

 _'Thank you both for your loyal service. I shall be escorting my son to his chambers now. If the King comes looking for me, please let him know that is where I will be.'_

The two guards stomped their right foot on the ground twice before bowing to the Queen and acknowledging her request.

 _'Yes, your majesty!'_

The queen and her son walked down various hallways, with Yuuri following closely behind and drinking in as many details as possible. Any staff members that saw the pair coming their way immediately stopped what they were doing, and smiled as they bowed first toward the Queen and then to the Crown Prince. The pair eventually stopped in front of an oak wood door decorated with a golden crown flanked by two steely dragons. Underneath was the word 'Виктор' and Yuuri instantly knew it to be Viktor's name. Although Anglicus was the common language spoken by all the unified kingdoms of Occidentis, each kingdom still had their own native language. Yuuri had never been schooled in this language, and he'd only heard it for the first time at the start of the vision. He examined the characters with interest, fascinated by how they resembled certain letters of the Anglicus alphabet, but did not make the same sounds. He would have to look into this fascinating language a little more when there wasn't an impending apocalypse waiting for him in the real world.

The Queen turned the knob and pushed the door open, ushering Viktor into the room. Viktor's eyes were practically little slits by now and he was only still standing because his mother kept him moving around. She pulled back the blankets on her son's bed and nudged him gently until he crawled in. She tucked him in and placed a kiss on his forehead before turning to leave the room. A small hand gripped her arm and she paused to look down, seeing that Viktor was still awake.

 _'What is it, Viktor?'_

 _'Sing me a song, mama. Please?'_

The Queen lifted a hand to stroke her son's cheek, deftly combing some stray hairs away from his eyes with her fingers.

 _'Zhizn' moya, aren't you a little too old for lullabies?'_

 _'I don't care about lullabies, mama. I just want to hear you sing. You have such a beautiful voice. It…soothes me.'_

The Queen sighed, knowing that she simply could not deny her son such a simple request.

 _'Well, I suppose I could sing a little something for you. But only **one** song, that's all you get, and then it's off to sleep with you. Agreed?'_

Boy Viktor nodded enthusiastically, burrowing deeper under the blankets and making himself more comfortable. He brought the blankets up until they covered half of his face, his eyes wide with excitement and his whole body trembling with anticipation. The Queen took a deep breath and began to sing, her angelic voice filling the room like a flock of nightingales. Yuuri was instantly captivated by her beautiful voice, and especially thankful that he could clearly understand her words. She sang about the moon and fairy tales, and of rivers flowing in the mountains. The lyrics praised the strength and prowess of the King, extolling him as strong and battle-hardened. Then came a verse about the day Viktor would take over his father's mantle, mount his own horse and take up the sword. Her voice grew soft and took on a hint of sadness as she sang about the sorrow, fear, and worries that were sure to come when this day arrived.

Boy Viktor had started drifting off to sleep around the second or third verse, so Yuuri surmised that he was being lulled by the melody and not really aware of the meaningful words or his mother's distress. The song carried on, the Queen crooning about how she knew her son would become a hero, but that she would watch him go with sadness in her heart and worry about him being in strange and faraway lands. The last few lines of the last verse were her pleas to not be forgotten. Yuuri was moved to tears. He had been kept from his mother for most of his childhood and hadn't been able to form any meaningful connections with her. Seeing such raw love and concern for her son pouring out from the woman before him touched something deep inside him. Viktor and his mother shared a true bond, and he was simultaneously happy and incredibly envious all at once.

The scene shifted and he found himself outside in the middle of what appeared to be a royal caravan of sorts. Chaos erupted all around him and as he looked around, he saw a contingent of royal rear guards taking on a swarm of demons. A man, his armor clearly that of a general's, left the maelstrom and raced to the ornate carriage at the front of the caravan. He dismounted his horse and opened the door to the carriage giving Yuuri a glimpse into its occupants. Inside the carriage were the King, Queen and a now-teenaged Viktor. The general asked them to come out, stating that they had been ambushed by demons and was there to ensure their safe return to the castle. There were three other guards with horses, and each member of the royal family was to mount one of those horses in order to be taken back to safety.

The King stepped out first, and then assisted the Queen with her disembarkation. Viktor was left to exit on his own, but stayed close to his mother, the confusion and worry clear on his face. The three Royal guards approached the three monarchs, presumably to brief them each on what was going to happen next. Yuuri felt a roiling wave of malice wash over him and he was immediately drawn to the red-haired guard on the far left. His eyes immediately narrowed, glowing gold as they peered into the man's heart. His power activated and he realized with dismay that the man had been corrupted. His heart was black with malevolence and encased in a demonic glow. This man is dangerous, he should not be so close to the Royal family!

The General had assigned the red-haired guard to the Queen, but he strode purposefully toward Viktor instead. Yuuri shouted out a warning, desperate to catch someone's attention. It was all in vain however, he was simply an observer there, and powerless to stop anything that was about to play out. He watched in horror as the guard drew his sword and aimed it at Viktor's heart. Everything happened in slow motion, as if the flow of time had nearly come to a halt. Viktor reached for his sword, but Yuuri knew that he would not be able to draw it in time. And then, Viktor was being forcibly pulled backward, and a body stepped protectively in front of him. Yuuri watched in horror as the Queen placed herself in between Viktor and the traitor, taking the blade that was meant for her son. The traitorous guard's eyes widened in shock when he realized what had happened, and tried to reach for a dagger at his hip. He was too slow however, for the other two guards were already on top of him and tackling him to the ground.

The Queen's body trembled, and she fell backward, sword still lodged in her chest. Viktor reached out to catch her, but her weight and momentum were too much for him and they both tumbled to the ground. Viktor's anguished cry cut through the thrum of turmoil, shouts and scuffling.

 _'Mama!'_

The King was then there down on the ground with him, taking his wife's hands into his own.

 _'Katya my love, dorogaya, hold on! We'll get you to the healer, we can…'_

The Queen was clearly in a lot of pain, but was valiantly trying to keep her composure and remain as calm as she could. Her lips formed a sad smile and she shook her head weakly. When she spoke, her voice was low and breathy, the strain a direct result of struggling to breathe with a sword lodged in her chest.

 _'We both…know there is…no hope…for me, lyubimyy. I'm sorry.'_

Tears streamed down the King's face as he bowed his head and brought his wife's hands to his lips for a kiss and held them there. Viktor's shaking hands cradled his mother's face in his lap, his own tear-streaked face twisted in agony.

 _'Mama, no…don't leave us! Stay…I need you! Please'!_

The Queen's eyes softened as she tilted her head back to try and look at Viktor's face.

 _'You will…make…a great…King…one day. The greatest. Make…me…proud, Vitya.'_

Viktor bent over, touching his forehead down to his mother's. Father and son wept quietly, offering their solemn support to the woman that meant so much to them. The King carried on raining down kisses onto the woman's hands, while Viktor gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. The Queen was surrounded by her two loves, and although death was coming for her, a warm smile played upon her lips. Her breathing slowed and grew shallower until finally, her body gave one last shudder and she exhaled her final breath. Yuuri covered his mouth with both hands, devastated by what he'd just witnessed. He could have never guessed that Viktor had experienced such heartbreaking tragedy at such a young age. He wished that he could reach out and take the young Viktor into his arms and console him, hating that he was powerless to do so.

The King lowered his departed wife's hands to her body, placing them on top of each other on her abdomen. He tapped Viktor on the shoulder and the young man looked up, eyes red and swollen from crying. The King stood up and motioned for Viktor to do the same. The man brushed the dirt from his clothes and straightened them up before looking toward the General.

 _'Altin.'_

The general was immediately by the King's side, his own eyes red from an outpouring of grief. Yuuri realized that the name was familiar, and when he looked closely upon the man's face, he knew instantly that he was General Otabek Altin's father.

 _'Yes, your majesty.'_

 _'I'm sorry friend, but I am going to require the use of your cape. '_

The General nodded, immediately unclipping it from his shoulders and handing it over to his King. The monarch walked back over to the Queen's corpse, and recited a short prayer before gently pulling the sword out of her chest. He gave the sword to the General and asked him to hold onto it for a bit. Then, with Viktor's help, he was able to wrap his beloved's body up in the General's cape. He placed a kiss on her forehead before bringing the cape up to cover her face. He then picked her up and walked over to the carriage, lovingly placing her onto the velvet-lined seat. When he turned back around, the tender softness was gone from his face, fully replaced by menacing darkness. He took the sword from the General and strode over to the traitor, stopping in front of him to stare down at his face in contempt.

Yuuri did not pay attention to what was happening between the King and the traitorous wretch, choosing instead to focus on the Crown Prince. Young Viktor looked absolutely shell-shocked, his eyes glassy and full of pain. He stood there, looking back and forth between his father and the carriage, clearly at war with himself. Yuuri's heart went out to the young man, no one should ever have to watch a loved one die.

A scream of sheer terror was heard and Yuuri turned his head just in time to see the traitorous guard be eviscerated with his own sword. The King reached out with his left hand and a blue glow erupted from it. The traitor's entrails instantly froze, solidifying halfway in the man's body and halfway out.

'You are the worst kind of scum, and as such, unworthy of a quick death. I will draw out your pain and suffering for as long as it pleases me.'

The King then pushed his way past the group and headed toward the guards fighting the demons, the General hot on his heels. Yuuri followed them, curious as to what was going on.

 _'Your highness, surely you can't be…'_

 _'Altin, now is not the time. Support me or get the hell out.'_

The General nodded and bowed toward the King.

 _'Yes, your highness.'_

The two men made their way to the raging battle, arriving just in time. The guards, as skilled as they were, had started to become overwhelmed as more demons seemed to be popping out of the woodwork. The King strode purposely toward the skirmish, reaching for his waist and pulling out his sword. Yuuri immediately recognized it as the God Claw. The King stopped abruptly and swung his sword in a high arc. The moisture in the air froze, causing snowflakes to manifest out of thin air. Those flakes immediately melted in the warm weather and fell down to the earth as rain, covering everyone on the battlefield in a thin sheen of wetness. The King then grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands, stretched his arms out in front of him and raised the weapon above his head before driving it into the ground. The water on the ground seemed to come alive as he did so, turning into ice and racing up the legs of every demon that had been marked by the rain. Yuuri watched in astonishment as the ice completely encased every single demon on the battlefield, rooting them to the spot. The human guards were spared, their humanity protecting them against the powerful magic. The King removed his sword from the ground and placed it back in its sheath. He then clapped his hands together and every single frozen demon exploded into a billion shimmering shards of ice.

The King doubled over, and the General was immediately there holding him up.

Yuuri could see that the monarch was panting and sweating profusely, likely from overexerting himself and depleting all his ki at once. The General stayed with the King until he'd recovered enough to walk back to the carriage on his own. The caravan then took off returning hurriedly to the castle.

The scene changed once more, and he was back in Viktor's room. An unchanged Princess Babicheva was there with him and Yuuri realized that her people must experience time differently than humans. Both were dressed in mourning clothes. Viktor's hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and he was currently holding it in his left hand. He picked up a dagger from a nearby table with his right, and in one smooth movement, sliced off his flowing locks. He laid the severed hair on the table and then sat down on a nearby chair. The Princess walked up to him and draped a sheet around his shoulders, then used a pair of shears to trim and style Viktor's hair into the one he currently still wears to this day.

The next scene showed Viktor at his mother's outdoor funeral, offering his hair to her as a sign of mourning before placing it on her funeral pyre. Yuuri looked around, feeling quite certain that the entire kingdom had shown up for their beloved Queen's funeral. The scenes changed frequently after that, highlighting certain memories and events in Viktor's life. One memory, in particular, cut Yuuri so deeply that it felt as if it had actually happened to him as well.

Viktor looked a few years older as he stood next to his father's bed, the man currently laying in it a haunting ghost of his former self. His eyes were sunken in and he had grown thin and weak.

 _'Father, what is the meaning of this? I nearly had to fight my way into your room just to be able to see you! We have important matters to discuss.'_

The man turned dead and emotionless eyes toward his son, lowering them the second he actually recognized who was talking to him.

 _'I am tired, leave me be.'_

Viktor took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 _'You don't have to do anything, just listen. I'll take care of the actual work. Just, please…don't shut me out.'_

The King shifted on the bed until he was lying on his side with his back to his son, the move a clear act of dismissal. Viktor's fists shook at his sides and Yuuri could see that he was furious.

 _'I miss her too, you know! You're not the only one still grieving here! Unlike you, I haven't had the luxury of shutting out the world and hiding from reality in my bedroom all day and night. **Someone** needs to run the kingdom, and since **you're** not, it has to be **me**.'_

The King reacted to Viktor's words, immediately sitting up in bed and turning to face his son.

 _'The kingdom can go to hell as far as I'm concerned! My desire to rule it died along with Katya that day.'_

The King's face scrunched up into an angry snarl as he pointed an accusatory finger at his own son.

 _'And **YOU** , curse you for having Katya's face! Every time I'd look at you, I was brutally reminded of what I've lost! I haven't been shutting you out, I could simply no longer stand to look at your face.'_

Viktor was visibly shocked and Yuuri could see how hurt he was by his father's callous words. He looked so vulnerable then, the rejection and confusion playing out clearly on his face. When Viktor didn't speak, his father carried on.

 _'May the gods punish me for saying this, but I wish she hadn't taken that sword for you that day. We would have mourned your loss, certainly, but we would have moved on eventually. We could have had another son, other children together perhaps. Any heir would have been good enough to fulfill the Rite of Succession, but Katya was simply irreplaceable.'_

Yuuri gasped, appalled at how a father could ever dare to say such a horrible thing to his own son. He turned to look at Viktor's face, the heartbreak and devastation on it clear as day. The prince lowered his head, his hair obscuring his eyes and hiding his facial expression.

 _'I…see. I'll be taking my leave now, then.'_

Viktor stood up and turned around, walking out of the room and leaving his father alone in his chambers. Yuuri followed Viktor out and walked beside him as he made his way to another section of the castle. His face was unreadable, but Yuuri could detect a slight tremble in his lips. He knew that Viktor had to be on the verge of tears, but was doggedly fighting them back. When Viktor turned down one final hallway, he bolted into a run, pushing his way past the last door on the right. Inside the room was Princess Babicheva, startled by the sudden intrusion into her quarters.

 _'Viktor? What the hell?'_

Viktor trembled where he stood, his whole body shaking violently as he finally allowed the tears to fall.

 _'I hate him…I hate him…I hate him!'_

The Princess didn't ask any questions. She walked up behind Viktor and closed the door. Then she turned back around and took him into her arms. She held Viktor tight, swaying him gently from side to side as she began singing a familiar song. Yuuri watched, his heart in his throat, as the Princess sang the same song he'd heard the Queen sing for Viktor that one night. Its effect was immediate; the tension seemed to drain right out of him. A few minutes later, Viktor's sobs died down and he finally stopped trembling.

 _'Thank you, Mila. I don't know what I would ever do without you.'_

The King died not long after that, and Yuuri noticed that the news of his passing didn't evoke the same level of surprise and mourning as the Queen's. He was given a funeral on the same level of grandeur as his deceased wife's, but clearly not attended by as many people. He witnessed Viktor's coronation and the day he visited the temple of his god to perform the Rite of Succession so that he could receive the power of the Ice Dragon Magic Clan and wield the God Claw. The last thing he saw was Viktor standing in front of a life-sized painting of his mother, fierce determination shining in his eyes.

 _'I **will** make you proud, mama. Please continue watching over me.'_

Yuuri looked on as Viktor vowed to be twice the King his father was. He wished that he could tell this Viktor just how great of a man he would become someday. How they would go from complete strangers to taking on the Demon King after forming an alliance. A warming sensation burst forth in the Emperor's chest, a pure wave of emotion that caught him completely off-guard. The more he thought of Viktor, the more the warmth intensified. He brought his right hand up to his chest, smiling as he came to the realization that he truly cared for Viktor, genuine feelings that were coming straight from within him and uninfluenced by any outside sources. He had closed off his heart long ago, locked it away to keep himself from getting being hurt. But Viktor's presence had started poking little holes in his defenses, and his façade was starting to crack. The feelings filled the Emperor with warmth and hope, and a little seed of love took root inside his heart.

 **_terminology_**

 **Жизнь моя** (Zhizn' moya) – pet name meaning 'my life'

 **Казачья Колыбельная Песня** (Kazach'ya Kolybel'naya Pesnya)– Cossack's Lullaby - I came across this Russian lullaby in my research online and found it to fit absolutely perfectly with the story, theme and situation. It was first published in 1838 by Mikhail Lermontov, but for the sake of this story, we'll just pretend that it was around during Viktor's time and perhaps the lyrics were only passed on verbally through the generations but were only written down in the future.

watch?v=cAurt7dzU70 – **you can listen to a modern cover here**

You can see the **Russian and English translation** side by side here: /en/kazachja-kolybelnaja-pesnja-%

 **Note:** "Bayushki bayu" is an expression to lull a baby to sleep in Russian.

 ******* The only thing that I would modify on this version is the line "And take the gun" (И возьмешь ружьё). I would change it to "And take the sword" (И возьмешь меч). So please just think about that if you end up looking at the full translation.

 **дорогая** (dorogaya) - sweetheart, darling, dear, dearest (for women).

 **любимый** (lyubimyy) - beloved, darling, dear (for men).

 **Queen Katya's dress:** . (the front of the hood is the collar in the story, no hood)


End file.
